Middle Ground
by silverfootsteps
Summary: A band of adventurers takes off on a noble quest to save the kingdom. Sakura, a reluctant cleric, is dragged out of retirement to help them slay the source of all evil: the demon king. Of course, this can only happen if Sakura doesn't slay the incompetent members of her party first. DnD!AU. Kisasaku.
1. Chapter 1

**Stage 1:** Forest Level

* * *

"Doctor, a message from her Imperial Majesty. The Emperor has a headache and refuses to meet with the nobles. They've livid," the maid reported, holding her tray tight against her chest. She leaned in through the doorway, polished shoes shifting as she waited for a response.

Sakura glanced up from her notes. She let out a sigh, lifting her glasses on top of her head. Her assistant gave a sympathetic sort of grimace to the maid before he finished tying the curtains back.

Sakura rubbed the inner corners of her eyes as she thought. She turned her head to say, "Some pennyroyal tea, then. Do we have any of the dried leaves left?"

Her assistant crossed the room to open up one of the glass cabinet doors. He plucked a jar from the shelf to peer into it.

"Just enough."

"Excellent. Let's get some water boiling."

Several minutes later, Sakura sent her assistant out with a pot of the still-steaming tea. The maid held the door open for him.

"Don't spill any!" she called after the boy. She watched him run down the hall until he turned the corner. And then she shut the door. With a moment of peace, she could finally read the mail that had arrived earlier that morning.

Ever since she had taken on the role as the imperial physician, the letters had started pouring in. Nobles asking for favors. The frantic doctors of those nobles asking for advice. The amount of diplomacy involved in her job had surprised her. But she didn't dislike it.

Another knock on the door interrupted her. The pen rolled free from her fingers as she got out of her seat. She dusted off the front of her dress before she answered, a neutral smile on her lips.

"Hello." The greeting slipped out of her mouth more out of habit than anything.

A shifter stared back at her, big sapphire eyes gleaming. He wasn't a stranger- not that that made his intrusion any less unwelcome. She remembered his name. As simple as the inside of his head: Naruto. He smiled, pointed teeth showing.

A surly-looking man peered over the shifter's shoulder at her, his black hair wavering like a candle flame. He raised a hand in greeting.

Sakura slammed the door in both their faces.

"Whew, for a second, I thought I wasn't going to have a good, normal day," she remarked to no one. And then she felt a breeze on her back. Which would have been nice had she not remembered locking the windows earlier that morning. She turned around, eyes already rolling.

Kakashi sat on the windowsill. As he raised his hand, a lockpick dangled between his fingers. The metal tools jangled together when he wiggle his hand in a silly wave.

Hands on her hips, Sakura glowered at him. He smiled.

Shaking her head, Sakura opened the door to let the other two in. The shifter strolled in first, sniffing at the smell of herbs that always lingered in her office.

"Woah! Look at you, Miss Fancy!" he exclaimed. He went for a hug, which she dodged.

The man who followed him into the room at least had the decency to shut the door. He turned to Sakura and held out his hand. Palm glowing slightly. Like the rest of him.

"Hey," was all he said. But at least it was a real greeting.

"Hi, Sasuke," she sighed, She shook his hand. Then she glared harder, arms folding across her chest.

"What're you doing here?" Sakura asked. Mostly to Sasuke, but also to the others.

"Can you come adventuring with us?" Sasuke requested without hesitation. She heard Kakashi sigh from the window, "Kid, we talked about easing her into it."

"Sorry," replied Sasuke without sounding sorry at all.

And Sakura had trouble processing the question because noises started up behind her. The irritating, fumbling kind. Papers rustling, the books on her shelf thumping together. And then her desk chair scraping across the floor.

"Naruto!" she barked, still staring at Sasuke. The rattling stopped.

"Quit digging through my drawers. How many times do I have to tell you that you can't just go around breaking people's pots and digging through their crap!" she scolded.

Naruto's pointed ears drooped as he set the ceramic jar back down on her desk.

"But there could be gold in them. You never know, Sakura," he sulked.

She threw them out of her office. She was 90% certain that the door hit Naruto on his way out. When she heard metallic clicking, she leaned against the door to call, "And if you try to break back in, Kakashi, I'll summon an insect plague directly into your mouth."

The clicking stopped.

A few months passed. The short summer season came and went in the blink of an eye. The empress gave birth to a healthy baby boy, which was cause for celebration. The empress had lost a great deal of blood throughout the ordeal, but Sakura had managed to stabilize her. That had won even more of the emperor's favor. Gold, praises, whatever she wanted.

But even with the high spirits inside the palace, Sakura began to hear unsettling rumors. Sickness in the villages in the south. An entire city that was abandoned overnight. Great swathes of crops rotting before the harvest.

Sakura understood that these weren't the sorts of things she was paid to think about. That didn't stop her from sending a letter home. She couldn't help but worry. Maybe it would be better for her family to move north, which seemed safer at the moment.

Heavy thumping at the door interrupted her thoughts. Her assistant had been nodding off in the corner and jolted awake with a snort. She pushed him back onto the stool as she got out of her chair to pull the handle. She blinked a few times as she took in Naruto and Sasuke leaning against each other.

Naruto grinned. Blood coated his pointed teeth.

"Heya there, Sakura!" Naruto greeted her, waving his arm. Well, the arm that wasn't a bloody stump. Sakura squinted hard at the mess of mangled bone and sinew. Wrinkled her nose at the smell. And she could see Sasuke clutching his opposite arm which looked similarly grisly. Only, slightly worse, because it was also smoldering.

Her teeth snapped together as she exclaimed, "Get in here!"

She seized both of them by the front of their tattered cloaks, yanking them into the room. Kakashi followed, carrying a dusty sack. And then, to her horror, more people began filing into her quarters. Most were complete strangers to her. One of them shoved a bunch of daisies into her hands, dirt still clinging to the scraggly roots. Another knocked into the doorframe as he tried to squeeze inside.

"What the- who the..." Sakura interrupted herself, sighing. She pressed her palm to her temple, exactly where throbbing had begun to manifest. She pointed out the door with her other hand.

"Anyone who isn't currently gushing blood, get out," she ordered.

There was a clunk as someone knocked into her desk. Her poor assistant dove to catch a vase of roses as it teetered off her desk. As her headache intensified, Sakura raised her free hand. Fire began to rise from the tips of her fingers.

"Out the door or I will roast all your asses," she warned.

Kakashi ushered everyone outside, whistling over the protests. He tipped his tattered hat to Sakura before shutting the door behind him.

"You two. Sit," Sakura then ordered, turning to Naruto and Sasuke. They sat on the dark blue couch by the door. The fire that sat in her hand shifted. Turning to a gentle green glow.

"Now talk. What the hell happened?" she asked. Her assistant brought the stool over from the corner so that she could sit in front of her two patients.

"Well, we were fighting a dragon..." Naruto began. Quite cheerful despite the fact that he was missing a hand. The glow encased his bleeding stump. He yelped when the nerves and bone began regrowing. Sasuke winced, but he was less whiny about the ordeal.

"A dragon? Are you insane?" Sakura exclaimed.

"That's what I said," muttered Sasuke.

"Those things are huge! Some of them breathe acid! Why would you try to fight one?" she went on. And Naruto tilted his head to one side.

"Oh... seriously? I just heard it was guarding some crazy good loot," Naruto confessed. And then he thumped himself on the chest. "Daddy needs some new armor!"

Sakura debated whether or not she could get away with throttling a patient.

"Well... was the treasure worth it?" she finally decided to ask.

"Dunno. We kind of got... destroyed...and ran away… without loot," answered Naruto. He laughed a little, nudging Sasuke with his shoulder. Like they were sharing some hysterical inside joke.

Sasuke stared directly at Sakura. He didn't have to say a word. She recognized a cry for help when she saw one.

Sakura was less than gentle as she patched up their arms. She could have soothed the pain. She just chose not to. She stopped the bleeding and regrew the bones, which was an exhausting affair. Her assistant stepped in to help pile on the magical ointments and salves that would prevent infection and help speed up the body's healing process.

"It'll take a couple months for the muscle and skin to grow back," Sakura warned.

"Holy shit. I was just hoping you'd stop me from bleeding to death," remarked Naruto. He wiggled his skeletal fingers. He held still as Sakura bound it all up with bandages. Under the layers of linen, it was hard to tell the grisly truth about his regenerating hand.

Naruto gave himself a high-five as Sakura bandaged up Sasuke's arm.

"Don't do that," Sakura ordered without looking at him.

"Why not?"

"You don't have any nerves there yet. So you could damage it without even realizing," she explained.

"Dumbass," muttered Sasuke.

"Oh, like you knew," snorted Naruto, rolling his eyes. But he did stop high-fiving himself. Instead, he turned to grin at Sakura.

"We were so sure that we were screwed. You're the best."

The sudden compliment only made her suspicious. Her eyes narrowed, but she let him talk.

"Anyway, that's why we need you, Sakura. All the health potions in the world can't replace ya," Naruto declared.

"Hire someone out of a tavern. I'm busy," Sakura rejected him again.

"But it HAS to be you, Sakura! It's not the same without you!" whined Naruto, undeterred.

"...It is tough. We were way better off with you in the party," Sasuke agreed. And she couldn't imagine how much it took for the great Sasuke to admit to something like that. He never had anything positive to say about anyone. Not even himself.

"Speaking of which, who were all those people? How the hell do you have so many people in your party?" Sakura then demanded. Naruto raised his bandaged hand. Stopped. Raised his other hand to scratch the back of his head instead.

"Huh. Dunno. Just... like... gathered them as we went, I guess," mused Naruto. And then his eyes went wide. "Oh! By the way, you gotta meet Neji! He's an elf! Figured you guys would want to talk about... being elfy... and stuff."

Sakura rubbed her temples. "Naruto, we've been over this. I'm a half-elf. It's not the same thing."

"Oh... yeah. Sorry. Forgot," he replied, turning a little pink. Then he was talking again.

"But come on, Sakura. It'll be like old times. We really, really need you. We gotta kill the demon king," Naruto insisted.

Sakura's left eye twitched.

"And we're not as reckless as we used to be, I promise."

Next to Naruto, Sasuke silently shook his head. Naruto saw that. He paused to think. And then he shrugged.

"Okay, yeah, we almost died, like, a bunch of times. And then there was that time we fell into a poison swamp. That really sucked," Naruto went on.

Sasuke's eyes met hers. He gave her the world's flattest stare. "Please," he whispered.

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "Guys." She sighed. "It's not that simple. I work for the emperor now. I can't just up and leave."

"Cool. I'll talk to him," Naruto chirruped.

Before Sakura could stop him, he was out the door, running in the direction of the throne room.

Half an hour later, Naruto was back, a fancy parchment in his hand. It bore the royal seal, along with a looping signature at the bottom.

"Says here that the Imperial Physician, Sakura Haruno- Is that your surname? Seriously? Anyway- you're hereby temporarily relieved of her duties to aid the noble hero (that's me) in his quest to vanquish the demon king," Naruto read before he handed her the paper for inspection. For a moment, Sakura considered throwing it into the fireplace. But even she wasn't bold enough to burn an imperial document.

Instead, she glared at Naruto. "Have I ever told you that I hate your charisma modifier?"

Naruto gave his chest another proud thump. "Gramps used to say I could charm the skin off a bear."

Sakura grimaced. "That doesn't make any sense."

Naruto nodded, rubbing his chin. "Yeah, he kind of lost his mind in his later years. Said lots of weird stuff before he died."

She threw the parchment at his face.

Sakura met them at the city gates at dawn the following day. They weren't difficult to find. Especially given how loud Naruto's voice was as he laughed.

She had spent almost two years traveling with Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi. They had journeyed through a good portion of the southern jungles and the riverlands. They hadn't made a huge fortune, but the gold they'd acquired had been enough to support her as she studied for the imperial physician's exam.

It had been three years since they had parted ways. Sakura had fallen out of touch quite purposely. She had a suspicion that Kakashi was the one who had tracked her down. He was like a bloodhound.

"Where's everyone else?" she inquired as she dropped her rucksack at her feet.

"They went ahead. We'll meet up with them tomorrow,"

Naruto was a shifter. He claimed that his inner beast was a fox, which she would have doubted had she not witnessed him bite out the throat of an enemy on numerous occasions. Sometimes he seemed more like a person. Other times he seemed more like a beast. Most of the time, he was just reckless. He gave her a silly little waggle of his hand, which just made her head hurt more.

Beside him was Sasuke. He was an _genasi_, which he had once explained during a rare sociable moment, meant that he was descended from a human and a genie. Which side was which, according to Sasuke, he couldn't say. She had spent the better part of a year avoiding his glare before she realized that he was just as quiet and ill-tempered with everyone else. But he wasn't all bad. After all, he hadn't burnt Naruto to a crisp after all these years. Sakura wasn't sure that she would've exercised such restraint in his shoes.

Last was Kakashi, the human rogue. She knew the least about him. And she was sort of satisfied to keep things that way. She got the feeling that he had told her more lies about himself than truths.

Naruto pointed at the only stranger in their group. It was the massive, grey-ish blue man who had nearly shattered the vase in her office. He stood a head above everyone else. And his huge muscles only added to his ridiculous size. According to Naruto, he was a fighter they'd found passed out on the side of the road.

Sakura stared at Naruto while he babbled on. It took him a while, but he finally noticed and raised his eyebrows at her. "What's wrong?" He leaned in to whisper. "Have you never seen a tiefling before? He's not a demon. Don't be a racist, Sakura."

Gritting her teeth, Sakura shoved him away with her shoulder.

"Naruto, you don't even know who this is and you're just... traveling together?" she demanded.

"He's cool! I swear!" Naruto insisted. Like _she_ was being the weird one.

The tiefling man grinned, revealing individually pointed teeth. Sakura pursed her lips.

"Sasuke!" Sakura sighed, already turning toward him.

"I said no, but he wouldn't listen," Sasuke defended himself. He had obviously had this argument with Naruto many times before.

"Naruto, you-" Sakura stopped. Took a deep breath to calm herself before she tried again. "You can't just pick people off the side of the road and say 'let's go'. That's not how it works."

"Why not? That's how we met you," replied Naruto, eyes wide.

Kakashi stifled a snort from somewhere behind her. Sakura whipped around to glare at him. Kakashi's nose was buried in a book like he couldn't even hear her. Hissing through her teeth, Sakura returned her disapproving stare to Naruto.

Naruto jabbed his thumb into his chest. "I'm a great judge of character, Sakura. Trust me," was all he said.

Sakura turned her pleading gaze to Sasuke one last time.

"Don't try to reason with him," he advised.

Rubbing her temples, Sakura gestured for Naruto to proceed with the introductions.

"Anyway, this is Kisame. He helped us punch a bunch of giant rats after we picked him up, so we asked him to join up."

Kisame put his fist on his hip, obviously as an excuse to flex his bicep at her.

"Of course you did," muttered Sakura. She felt exhausted even though they hadn't taken a step outside the city yet. Her eyes found Kakashi, who raised his eyebrows at her.

"If we die, I'll kill you," she warned. She pointed an accusatory finger at him.

Kakashi's eyes crinkled in the corners. She knew he was laughing. "You haven't changed, Sakura."

The winding forest path was cold. Sakura wrapped her cloak around her shoulders, following several steps behind Naruto, who was absorbed in conversation with Kisame. From the snippets that drifted back to them, they seemed to be discussing how Kisame swung his sword. She must have been right because after several paces, they both began miming cutting motions. Striking from above. From the side.

"You can't just use your arms. They'll pop out of the sockets. You have to put your back into it," Kisame told him as Naruto copied his movements.

Kakashi hung back, which left Sakura and Sasuke to walk beside each other in the middle of their group.

They were quiet for a bit. Which she knew didn't really bother Sasuke, since he didn't really like to make small ta-

"You've been busy, Imperial Physician," he commented.

Startled, Sakura turned to look at him. Sasuke stared straight ahead. His pale profile sharp against the foliage.

"Uh... yeah. I guess," she fumbled to say.

"I told you you'd pass," he added.

That took Sakura a moment. And then she remembered one of those nights camped out in the woods. Naruto had been sitting on a stump wiping goblin blood off his greataxe while Kakashi sat high up in a tree to keep watch. She couldn't exactly remember why they had started talking about it, but she did remember what she had told Sasuke:

_What if I fail the exam? Everyone in my village worked so hard to get me here._

It took Sakura another beat to realize that Sasuke was teasing her. She smiled.

"Yeah. You did," Sakura agreed. She didn't know what else to say. After another minute of crunching through the foliage, Sasuke spoke again.

"You like your job?" he asked.

Sakura thought, head tilting up to stare at the trees. At the spotty sunlight that poked in between the leaves.

"Yeah. I like it," she answered.

"Hey! There's a cave or something up here!" Naruto called from ahead, waving his arm at them. Sasuke clucked his tongue as Naruto then proceeded to charge into the dark hole in the stone. A series of garbled, sharp cries rang out, while alerted them to the presence of at least several goblins.

"That moron," grumbled Sakura under her breath as they took off in a run after him.

They camped along the side of a cliff that night. Out of habit, Sakura pitched her tent between Naruto and Sasuke's. They dug holes in the ground with branches they'd snapped off a tree. And though it had been a while, Sakura found herself shaking her head and occasionally laughing at Naruto's jokes.

Naruto volunteered to go gather firewood. He grabbed Sasuke by the cloak and dragged him along too, ignoring Sasuke's glares and protests.

Sakura opened up her rucksack to check on her supplies. She pulled out a bundle of soft leather. When she undid the cord securing it, she could unfold it to reveal an herb pouch filled with sprigs and flowers. She plucked a few of the green leaves and rubbed them together in her hands to release the oils. The smell of peppermint filled the air as she began patting her neck, arms, and legs.

"Keeps mosquitoes away," she then explained when she felt Kakashi staring at her.

Kisame tilted his head as he watched her settle by the campfire. Her cloak draped over her shoulders. Their eyes met through the flames.

Sakura didn't exactly trust him. But she didn't see a point in being rude either.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

As he stirred the stew bubbling away over the fire, Kakashi glanced at her too.

Kisame rested his elbow on his knee. "I'm trying to understand something. I'm wondering if you're the type of person to give me a straight answer," he said.

"Well, since I'm not Kakashi, sure," she responded.

"Hey, now," Kakashi chuckled, probably smiling under the black mask that covered his mouth.

"What do you get out of helping the hero? This one's obviously in it for the money," Kisame then stated, pointing a finger in Kakashi's direction. The rogue didn't even bother to deny what was obviously true.

"The ranger's in it for loyalty. But what about you?" Kisame went on.

Sakura considered this, arms crossing under her cloak. She met Kisame's black eyes through the flames.

"Because stopping the demon king is the right thing to do. Obviously," she replied.

Kisame's eyes narrowed. "Naruto's probably going to get us killed," he pointed out. Sakura tilted her way this and that.

"Oh, yeah, probably," she finally agreed. And Kisame's forehead wrinkled as she laughed.

They journeyed for three more days through the forests. Naruto's tail flicked back and forth, swatting at the mosquitoes that nipped at his neck and his arms. Any that ventured too close to Sasuke erupted into flames, sizzling into ash. And Naruto whispered that Kakashi must not have any blood in his veins because the bugs didn't even try to get close to him. Which made Sakura snicker as she handed Kisame a sprig of spearmint.

"Here. The mosquitoes get pretty aggressive in this part of the forest," Sakura warned him as she offered him the plant. As she walked off to rejoin Naruto and Sasuke, Kisame stared down at the pointed leaves. He sniffed. And then he crushed it between his palms as he rubbed his hands together. The fresh scent curled through the air. When he looked up, Sakura was looking at him. She mimed patting her hands on her neck and behind her ears. Then she rubbed her hands up and down her arms and legs. He copied her. She smiled in response before she turned back to Naruto to scold him about something.

They wound their way through the rest of the forest. Sasuke took down a pair of rabbits in the undergrowth with a few arrows. And Naruto snatched a few trout out of the river with easy swipes of his clawed hands.

"And some fruit!" Naruto emerged from the brush with his good hand filled with lumpy green shapes. Sakura took one look at them and swatted them to the ground.

"Hey! You're the one always complaining about us not eating enough fruits and vegetables," sulked Naruto, staring down at the forest floor.

"Those are oleander fruit, Naruto. We'll die if we eat those. You shouldn't even be touching them," Sakura scolded.

"Aw, really? I thought these would be okay," he grumbled.

"For a shifter, you've got shitty survival skills," Sasuke remarked, chin in his hand as he watched from next to the fire. Naruto glared at him.

"I don't need survival skills," Naruto snapped. And then he pointed a proud thumb at his chest. "I've got luck."

"He said before he died of poisoning," Sakura concluded with a sigh. She glanced down at the fruit for a moment. And then she kicked up some leaves and dirt to bury them.

"Well," said Sasuke, staring at the lump of dirt.

"Well," repeated Naruto, also staring.

They both looked up at Kakashi, who shrugged. "Well. Meat it is, I guess."

The skin on Sakura's hand prickled a little as the poison seeped in. She shook her hand a little, the pendant wrapped around her wrist glowing as it purified the toxins. She then reached out to touch Naruto's wrist to do the same for him.

When Sakura returned several minutes later, Kakashi had gutted and cleaned the animals. The skin sizzled and popped as it hung over the campfire. With a grunt, she settled on one of the stones near the fire. When she looked over at Sasuke, he was busy staring off into the distance. Waving her hand offered no reaction, so she bent over to pick an acorn off the ground. It hit him on the back of the head. Sasuke turned to her with a glare. She motioned for him with both hands.

"Does it hurt?" she asked as he shuffled over a few places to sit next to her. Dumping his arm in her lap, he went back to looking away.

"Sort of. It tingles. Sometimes it wakes me up," Sasuke admitted.

"Good. That means the nerves are growing," Sakura replied as she gathered energy to her palm. It glowed gold before she placed it on his bandaged forearm. The light soaked into him, illuminating the shape of his skeleton beneath the linen.

"Looks good. Next!" Sakura then called. Naruto appeared from nowhere. He shoved Sasuke out of the way, who went tumbling backwards into the undergrowth. Grinning way too hard, Naruto sat on the ground in front of Sakura, draping his arm over her lap. She took a moment to stare down at him.

"You know, one of these days, he's going to kill you for that," she warned him.

Naruto shrugged his other shoulder. "Maybe. Worth it."

Sakura did the same for Naruto. She asked questions about the pain and scanned the inside of his healing arm. Despite the fact that she had treated their arms at the same time, Naruto's arm was rebuilding itself a little more quickly. Many of the muscle fibers had started to regrow around the skeleton. The magic that allowed him to move his arm would slowly start to fade once his body was able to do it on his own.

When Sakura gave a nod of approval, Naruto didn't move. Sakura twitched her leg. He still didn't budge. When she glanced down, she found Naruto's face strangely glum. His eyes squeezed shut, corners of his mouth turning down. Sasuke, who had gotten to his feet, hands balled into fists, stood still. His hand uncurled as he took in Naruto's slumped shoulders.

"Your legs are so soft, Sakura. This is comfy," sighed Naruto.

Sakura gave him a look of disgust. "Sasuke, just kill him now," she requested. She jolted Naruto off her lap and dealt a solid kick to his back, sending him rolling across the forest floor. His laughter dissolved into a yelp as Sasuke aimed a small fireball in his direction.

Huffing, Sakura moved to the other side of the fire to sit next to Kisame. He grunted at her in greeting.

"Are you sure about these clowns?" he inquired.

Rubbing her hands over her face, Sakura watched Sasuke grab the back of Naruto's shirt. Naruto let out a high-pitched shriek in protest. Kakashi watched them from his spot on a tree branch, making absolutely no move to stop the two from squabbling.

"Maybe they'll annoy the demon king to death," suggested Sakura. She and Kisame snickered a little.

The next city they arrived in was their rendezvous point. As the armed guards checked their travel documents, Sakura peered in through the iron portcullis. She took a step back when one of the guards eyed her. After a minute, the guards returned their document.

"Open up!" one of the guards called. The chains clanked and gears groaned as the gate slowly lifted.

"Welcome," he then said, dipping his head to her.

Sakura smiled.

"You know him?" asked Naruto as they walked into the city.

"Nope," answered Sakura.

As Sakura continued on ahead, Naruto whipped his head around to glare at the guard. He pointed at his eyes, and then at the guard, sharp canines glinting. The guard paled. As a proud smirk appeared on Naruto's face, Sasuke grabbed the shifter by the back of the shirt and pulled him along.

"If Sakura sees you doing that, she'll kill you," sighed Sasuke.

"Doing what?" Sakura called over her shoulder. It was Naruto's turn to blanch. His pleading eyes fell on Sasuke, who just sighed again.

"He was scratching at his bandages," Sasuke lied.

'Thank you,' mouthed Naruto as Sasuke continued to drag him along the cobblestones.

Kakashi lead them into a seedy pub along a dark, crooked street. Sakura made a face as she glimpsed the wooden sign above the door. It was of a sinister-looking boar with long tusks. She leveled Kakashi with a look. His eyebrows rose as he held the door open for her.

"If this is a brothel-" Sakura hissed.

"Yes, yes, you'll kill me. It's not," responded Kakashi.

Sakura strode past him, her fists held tight at her sides. At the first sign of a petticoat, she was prepared to punch Kakashi in the jaw.

This wasn't the first dingy tavern she had ever been in. In fact, during the early days of adventuring together, they had never been able to afford the fancy inns on the main streets. She hadn't missed the lecherous leers from greasy strangers eyeing her as she walked into the place. The gazes usually cooled somewhat when they spotted the holy symbol dangling from her wrist.

Thankfully, while the place seemed old and a little grimy, it wasn't as seedy as she had feared. In fact, a group of people sitting at a long table waved as Naruto scanned the room. He returned the gesture. And then he turned around to grab Sakura's wrist. He pulled her along.

"You finally get to meet the rest of the party! C'mon!" he exclaimed.

The first person that Naruto introduced was a bard. Which Sakura knew before Naruto said so because he carried a dulcimer. He was a human with dark brown hair and an impressive beard.

"Asuma here is good at singing," Naruto explained, pointing at the human man carrying a dulcimer.

"Yes. Bards are known for that," she retorted. Sasuke smirked as he walked up to join her.

"We found him fighting off a pack of sewer rats so we saved him. And then I told him to join us," Naruto went on.

"Where did you find sewer rats?" Sakura demanded..

"The sewers, of course!" was Naruto's cheerful reply.

"Why were you in the sewers?" wondered Sakura, disgusted by the mere idea of sloshing around in the filth under a city.

Sasuke made a face, too. "I don't want to talk about it," he muttered. He wrinkled his nose.

"It was shitty," Kakashi added.

Sasuke's eyes turned murderous. "I will gut you, old man," he whispered.

Shaking her head, Sakura pushed Sasuke's hand down, which had started to sizzle. She turned her attention back to Naruto and the others.

"Well, Asuma, hi, I guess," Sakura said. Asuma held his hand out. He had a firm grasp, but his gaze seemed kind as they shook.

When Asuma sat back down, Naruto gestured toward the willowy man who sat beside him. His long, silky hair was tied back, revealing pointed ears. When their eyes met, Sakura could feel him appraising her.

"Hello," he said first.

Sakura hesitated for a moment. She tried to find the sarcasm in his gaze. But there was none. Slowly, she took his hand.

"Hello," she said in return.

"So, this is Neji," Naruto announced, grinning way too hard. His eyes darting back and forth between them. He practically vibrated with excitement. "I figured you guys could talk about elf stuff together."

Sakura cringed. She had learned the hard way that full elves never considered a half-elf like her one of them. While many were polite enough not to say it out loud, the disgust was clear in their eyes. The mere of idea of being compared to an _A'Tel'Quessir_ was an insult. Almost-people. Or "round ear" if they were more direct.

To her surprise, Neji gave her hand a light squeeze. Corner of his mouth lifting a little.

"I look forward to it," he replied to Naruto, still looking right at her.

As Naruto went on talking, Sakura pulled her hand from Neji's grasp. She took a step back, bumping into Sasuke. He looked a little annoyed until she said "sorry". And they were quiet as they watched Naruto interact with the elf.

She almost didn't say anything for fear of sounding narrow-minded. But after half a dozen times of her opening her mouth and then closing it again, Sasuke nudged her with his elbow.

"Just say it," he grumbled.

Sakura peeked at Sasuke. He was staring right back at her, hand resting on his hip. And then she stole a glance back at the rest of the group. They seemed engrossed in a lively conversation about some kind of monster they'd slain. Lips twisting to one side, Sakura motioned for him. Sasuke tilted his head down toward her, rolling his eyes.

"I've never met such a friendly elf before. They're usually more... racist," she uttered in the tiniest voice possible.

"That's not a secret or anything, you know," retorted Sasuke in a normal voice. When Sakura flapped her hand at him, he snorted.

"But you'll see why," he then said.

Before Sakura could grill him, she heard her name. Naruto gestured for her, pointing to the last person sitting at the end of the table. It was a halfling woman who was just finishing up polishing a rapier. She had brown hair tied up in buns on either side of her head. In front of her sat a long piece of cloth. Resting on top of it were knives of every shape and size.

Their eyes met.

"This is Tenten. She's part of Asuma's crew," Naruto told her.

Tenten slowly lowered her sword. They stared at each other. Saying nothing.

"Uh-oh. Guess there might be rivalry between the ladies. Sakura's used to being the only girl, after all," snickered Naruto. And then he yelped "ow" as Sasuke kicked the back of his knee.

Sakura strode across the floorboards, hands reaching out. The halfling woman grasped them. They were both smiling, despite the fact that they had never even met before.

"Thank Freya. A woman," Sakura sighed with relief.

"Finally, someone who won't stink like horse shit," replied the halfling.

"I brought extra soap."

"Bless you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Stage 2:** Desert Level

* * *

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"What're you doing?"

"Chewing on a leaf."

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. "I mean... I can see that. Just... why?" he pressed.

Naruto, sitting on a stump, stared up at him, eyes wide. "This is supposed to have medicinal properties. It'll heal me, like a few health points, I guess," answered Naruto.

Sasuke stared at Naruto. Then pointed at Sakura who stood a couple feet away. Also staring.

"Why don't you just go to Sakura instead of chewing on a plant?"

Naruto shrugged a shoulder. "An old lady in a cave told me this would heal me a couple points. So I wanted to try it. I guess I feel a little better," Naruto answered.

Sasuke turned around to look at Sakura, who just shook her head.

"Where'd you even get that?" Sasuke then pressed.

Naruto's expression brightened. "Oh! Off that big spider we killed yesterday."

Sakura's forehead wrinkled. "Why... how... How would a spider be carrying a medicinal herb?" she demanded.

Naruto shrugged again. "In its... inventory, I guess?"

Both Sasuke and Sakura turned around to look pleadingly at Kakashi. "Do you understand him"" Sakura asked.

"I rarely understand anything the three of you talk about," answered Kakashi before burying his nose deeper in his battered book.

* * *

Once their party united, they took the quiet merchant's path through the forests. Where the biggest danger were the occasional mosquitoes that swarmed them whenever they passed by water.

After several days, the terrain grew more and more rocky. And the lush carpet of moss and plants began to turn scraggly. Withering up until all that was left was stone and sand. Soon, even those plants disappeared, and they found themselves on the edge of a massive desert.

"We don't have the supplies for this," Neji warned as they surveyed the area.

"And where are we even going anyway?" Sakura then demanded, turning to Naruto.

"Oh, shit. Did I not show you the map?" Naruto replied. He set his pack down to pull a map from inside. It was made of tattered parchment. He glanced around before Sasuke pointed at a slab of rock jutting out of the ground. Nodding, Naruto walked over to it to spread the map open. Everyone followed to look at it.

"So, we're... here," Naruto said. He pointed to a spot on the map. Neji leaned over to nudge Naruto's finger into the right spot. Naruto gave a sheepish laugh. Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose.

"And we gotta go all the way up to the Deadman's Peak," explained Naruto. The tip of his finger traced a path through the desert, through a stretch of blue, and then up a jagged mountain range on the other side. "There's an ancient temple that's supposed to house a portal to the Abyss."

"And once we're there, what do we do? 'Hey there, Demon King' and-" Tenten interrupted. And then she made a jabbing gesture as she blew a raspberry. Neji snorted beside her.

"Well, no. I'm supposed to get some legendary weapon along the way. It's at the bottom of the Sleeping Gulf," Naruto recited as he recalled some sort of prophecy.

"Naruto," Sakura called.

Eyes bright, Naruto lifted his head to look at her. "Yeah, Sakura?"

"Isn't the Sleeping Gulf a sea?" she inquired. She pointed at the looping letters that spelled out the name.

Naruto glanced down at her finger, then back up at her face to nod. "Yep."

Just to confirm that she wasn't losing her mind, Sakura looked over her shoulder at the rest of the party. Neji shook his head, as if to warn her that it was pointless to have this conversation. Kisame also made a face as he squinted down at the map. Sasuke didn't give her any sort of reaction- just stared off into the distance.

"Naruto, can you swim?" Sakura queried.

Naruto gave a cheerful "nope", lips popping at the end of the word.

Sakura nodded a little. "Okay, well, do you have some kind of artifact to get us there, then?"

Naruto shook his head. Normally, this was the part where Sasuke made a sarcastic remark. Oddly enough, he remained silent. Instead, he began very slowly rubbing his temples.

Sakura nodded again. "Fine. Last question."

"Uh-huh?"

"Then what are we supposed to do?" questioned Sakura, a sweet smile curving her lips.

Naruto shrugged. "I figured someone would come up with a plan. This kind of stuff always just works out, right?" he replied.

As Sasuke's expression turned murderous, Kakashi, who had read the warning signs in his face, seized him by the back of the cloak. At the same time, Sakura grabbed his hand before he had a chance to grab an arrow from the quiver on his back.

"Okay. Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page," Sakura declared in a light voice.

"He's gonna get us killed," Sasuke growled.

"I know. I know," Sakura sighed. She used her other hand to pat his back.

They both looked up when they felt a hand clap down on their shoulders. It was Kisame, who gave them a smile.

"I saw a town a few miles back. Let's get drunk," he suggested.

"Fine," Sasuke agreed right away.

"Tenten, let's go!" Sakura called over her shoulder as she followed after them.

"Wait for me!" Naruto yelled, scrambling to fold his map up.

They got uproariously drunk. The kind of drunk where the room started to spin when they turned their heads too fast.

"Tenten," Sakura said, patting the back of the other woman's hand.

"Yeah?" A smile on her lips, Tenten turned to her. "What?"

"I'm..." Sakura paused to hiccup and then tried again. "I'm so glad you're here." And then she leaned in closer. Tenten copied her.

"I mean, like... do you- do you see what I have to put up with?" Sakura added. And then both of them looked over at Naruto attempting to chug down an entire tankard of ale. This wouldn't have been that impressive had they not noticed the five empty tankards sitting beside him. His feat had gathered a small crowd of spectators. A roar of approval rose when Naruto banged his tankard on the table and demanded another.

Across from Naruto sat Kisame, who was the loudest voice encouraging him to keep drinking. Sasuke sat beside Naruto, still scowling. The plus side was that he didn't seem intent on attacking Naruto anymore. Asuma had struck up a conversation with a troupe of traveling musicians on the other side of the tavern. His easy smile made it easy for him to ingratiate himself with almost anyone, Sakura had noticed. Kakashi sat in a corner where he had a clear view of both everyone in their party and the door.

Sakura's eyes returned to Naruto when she heard him cough. He sputtered on his drink, drawing more laughter and some jeers as they urged him to finish. She wondered whether they had a tab riding on what seemed to be a rather intense competition.

"The bartender says that if someone vomits, we need to clean it up," Neji announced as he set more drinks down in front of them.

"Lovely," muttered Tenten. And then she shared a snicker with Neji as they stole glances at the grizzled old man staring at them from behind the bar. Sakura barely even noticed this interaction as she heard Naruto slam down his empty drink. Another cheer rose from the crowd that had gathered around his table on the other side of the room.

Sakura continued watching a little longer before she raised her right hand. Her holy symbol hung from a golden chain that she kept wrapped around her forearm. It was probably meant to be worn around the neck, but she preferred it closer to her hand. Plus, the gold eagle was a beautiful work of craftsmanship.

Tenten's eyes followed her as she cast a little spell. Sparkles appeared around the tankards that had just arrived at Naruto's table. None of the people who grabbed the drinks seemed to notice anything unusual.

"What was that?" asked Tenten.

"I purified their drinks. It'll taste the same, but there's no alcohol in them," Sakura explained. She watched as Naruto and Kisame each took huge gulps. Their eyes locked and they both began chugging as quickly as possible. "That should keep them from getting too drunk. For now," she added.

"Cool. Could you do that for ours, too?" Tenten then queried.

Sakura turned her attention to their tankards.

"I mean, yeah, I could," she admitted.

"Well don't. We need to get more drunk," Tenten then instructed. She grabbed the handle of her drink. Laughing, Sakura lifted hers to knock it against Tenten's. And then they looked at Neji, waiting. He heaved a sigh, a smile crossing his face as he obliged them with a knock of his drink too.

After another hour or so, Tenten complained of a headache and went to get some air. Before Sakura could suggest that Neji go with her, he turned to give her a pointed look.

"Go. Go," she urged him with flaps of her hand. Neji hesitated to look around the room. He locked eyes with Kakashi before he looked at Sakura. Kakashi dipped his head. And then Neji was out of his chair to hurry after Tenten, who apparently was prone to starting fights when she drank too much.

Sakura watched him, a smirk on her lips. She hadn't understood what Sasuke had meant all those weeks back. Why would Tenten be the reason why Neji was so tolerant of other races? Elves, especially sun elves, were well-known for their superiority complex. It was the sort of arrogance that rubbed most people the wrong way. But after spending every day together with them, Sakura finally got it. Caught the way his gaze lingered on her. How he smiled just listening to her speak. She wondered whether Tenten had any idea of the elf's complete infatuation with her.

"Well hello there, pretty lady."

Sakura clicked her tongue as someone sat down across from her.

Across the room, Kisame's head perked up as he heard the slurred pick-up line. Sakura had the expression of someone trying to ignore a mosquito whining in her ear. In front of her sat one of the bar's other patrons, who had been quietly sitting by himself up until now. As he leaned in to speak, Sakura wrinkled her nose.

Kisame slammed his tankard down. Wiping the foam on his mouth with the back of his hand, he got out of his chair. But as he took a step forward, he saw both Sasuke and Naruto shaking their heads.

"Don't bother. It's faster if she handles it," Naruto assured him.

"Five gold that she sends him flying across the room," Sasuke bet.

"Nah. She's gonna set his cloak on fire," insisted Naruto. And when they both noticed Kisame still standing, they motioned for him to sit. Grunting, Kisame eased back down in his seat, glaring.

Across the room, Sakura heaved a sigh. She had tried telling her unwelcome companion that she was waiting for her friends to return. And that she wasn't interested in any more company. But the man just went on rambling about himself, her beauty, and mostly himself.

As she began to feel a headache building in her temples, Sakura spoke again: "Hey. Buddy."

"Yeah, angel?"

Sakura finally looked up, resting her chin in her hand. "How about you go fuck yourself?" she suggested with a sweet smile. And then she opened her mouth to release a flood of black insects.

"Holy fuck!" the man exclaimed, stumbling backwards.

A few of the tavern's other patrons jumped out of their seats too until they saw that the insects only followed the man as he ran around the room. Some grumbled as he knocked into their tables, sloshing their drinks. As the bugs caught up to him, they began biting his neck, his hands, even his face. Screaming, he burst out of the tavern, coughing when some of the bugs flew into his mouth.

He took off into the night, squeals of terror mingling with the fading buzz of insect wings.

Sakura closed her mouth. A funny look crossed her face. She spat out one last bug into her hand. It gave a pitiful whine as it took off into the air, trying to catch up to the rest of the horde.

Naruto and Kisame roared with laughter, fists banging against the table. Sasuke smirked as he took another gulp of his alcohol. He scooted over as Sakura settled in beside him.

"I'm curious about something," Kisame suddenly said. Everyone looked at him.

"If that's what he gets on the first date, what does he get on the second?"

Naruto burst into hysterical giggles. Sakura kept a straight face for about five seconds before she threw her head back and laughed too.

When Tenten and Neji re-entered the room a couple minutes later, they found Sakura and Naruto both howling with laughter. Naruto banged his fists on the table. Sakura sat with her head pillowed on her arms, just her back shaking. It almost looked like she was crying until she lifted her head and they could see her bright red cheeks.

"You should've told him to buzz off," Kisame suggested. This was evidently not the first pun he had unleashed because Sasuke groaned, his forehead hitting the table.

* * *

The following morning, their party was back on the road. Although Tenten and Asuma winced a little at the sunlight, they seemed to otherwise be in fine shape. Even Naruto, who had earned death glares from the barkeep for drinking an entire cask, was sprightly as they headed down the dirt path.

Kisame squinted at Naruto's back. And then he hung back a little to fall into step with Sakura. She shook her head when he offered his canteen of water.

"So... Doc," he said.

"Yeah?"

"You seem kind of winded," Kisame began.

"Do I?" Sakura answered with a smile.

But Kisame went on. "Yeah. Almost like you're tired from casting some kind of healing spell on all of us or something," he observed.

Sakura looked away from him. But she glanced back when he didn't say anything else. He was studying her. Black eyes narrowed as he seemed to measure her.

"Why would you burn a spell slot for something like that?" he wondered.

It was Sakura's turn to give him a look.

"Is wanting my friends to not suffer weird to you?" she asked in return, scowling. Kisame stood dumbfounded as she trudged on. But then she glanced over her shoulder at him to add: "Besides, Sasuke whines non-stop when he's hungover. Come on. We're falling behind."

It took a full day to stock up on all the supplies they would need to travel through the desert wasteland. Once they ventured onto the hot sand, the complaints began. The only exception was Sasuke. As a fire genasi, he was part flame and therefore unbothered by any additional heat. His lack of discomfort offended Sakura, who spared no opportunity to glare at him.

"Sasuke," she called.

"Yeah?" he heaved a sigh. Already rolling his eyes.

"I just wanted to let you know, from the bottom of my heart, I hate you right now," she informed him. She squinted up at the sun, then at Sasuke's sweat-free form.

"Thank you for that update," he responded, not looking back at her.

"If we have to kill one more poisonous snake, I'm gonna lose my mind," grumbled Kisame, wiping sweat from his brow.

"You know, if you remove the venom sacs correctly, those are pretty tasty," Sasuke pointed out, gesturing to the long corpses strewn across the sand.

Sakura stifled a giggle as Kisame grumbled where Sasuke could shove those venom sacs. But that laugh disappeared as they felt a rumble under their feet. The ground beneath them began to shift. Slowly, they could see scales. Gleaming eyes. Sharp fangs.

They scrambled backward, grasping for weapons as a gigantic snake rose from its hiding place in the sand. It opened its mouth to let out a hiss.

"...Well... shit," Kakashi muttered. Before anyone could talk strategy, Naruto charged at the enormous serpent, greataxe swinging through the air.

"I like your style, kid!" roared Kisame, charging right after him.

Groaning, Sasuke turned to Sakura to share at least one commiserating look. Instead, he found her chasing Naruto, trying to grab him so she could cast resistance over him. When he jumped out of her reach, Sakura ground her back molars together.

"Ah, screw it," Sakura snapped. She extended her hand, holy symbol glowing as she conjured a spiritual weapon. Which was a spear that jabbed into the side of the snake. It let out a shriek of agony as purple blood spurting from the wound.

"Nice!" laughed Naruto as he brought his axe down on the snake's tail.

The fight itself wasn't so difficult. It ended rather cleanly with Naruto severing its head from the rest of its body. All was well until a young dragon stumbled out of its cave, drawn by the smell of blood. It opened its mouth to spray their party with fire. Tenten and Sasuke easily leapt out of the way. So did Kakashi and Asuma. Naruto was close enough that he grabbed Sakura and raised his shield just in time to protect them from the blast of heat.

But the flames engulfed Neji's arm and shoulder as he dodged a second too late. Kisame grabbed him by the cloak and yanked him out of the way. He threw him to the ground, smacking his hair and clothes to put out the flames.

"Asuma, back me up!" Tenten called as she rolled out from behind her cover to throw several knives at the dragon. Some bounced harmlessly off the tough hide. One burrowed into the soft spot on its throat. It roared in response.

"Got it!" yelled Asuma in return.

"Naruto, get me to Neji," Sakura said, shaking his arm a little. Without hesitation, Naruto grabbed her and threw her as hard as he could across the sand. She collided with Kisame's back. She didn't have time to apologize as she shoved past him.

Neji grit his teeth, good hand clenching into the sand. Through the singed fabric of his shirt, she could see his skin- red and shiny. Already blistering where it had come into contact with the flames. They could hear the dragon unleash another roar as it swiped its claw out toward them. Sasuke's swords slashed down onto its foot. A shriek filled the air as the beast turned on Sasuke instead, momentarily distracted.

"This is gonna hurt," Sakura warned. Before Neji could ask, she placed her hand on his raw skin and recited the spell that would knit his skin back together. The downside was that meant that all his nerve endings regrew together along with his skin. Sakura knew first-hand how excruciating it could be. Which was why Sakura was unsurprised when Neji cried out.

The dragon, which had been bashing the ground with a spiked tail, froze. Smoke puffing from its nostrils, it turned back toward them.

"Fuck fuck fuck- Sakura! Look out!" Naruto shouted.

As the scales around the dragon's throat began to glow, Sakura could see more smoke billowing from its mouth. Throwing her hand up, she drew on her magic to cast a command spell on it. She wasn't even sure whether the spell had taken hold before she screamed, "STOP!" as loudly as she could.

And for a moment, the dragon froze. It stood there, glaring at her with bloodshot eyes.

"Cool. My turn!"

The dragon turned in the direction of the voice right in time for Naruto's javelin to pierce its right eye. The screech that left its mouth made Sakura's ears ring.

"Alright. Time to go, folks," Kakashi announced, shuffling away from the dragon.

"Naruto, you idiot! Warn us before you pull shit like this!" Sasuke howled. He grabbed a fistful of Asuma's shirt and hauled him to his feet.

"Sorry!" Naruto yelled right back as he fled.

Sakura's gaze flickered from the enraged dragon to Neji still lying in the sand. As she tried to figure out how best to move him, Kisame scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder. At the same time, he did the same for Neji and threw him over his other shoulder. And then he began running as fast as he could.

A column of swirling flame erupted from the dragon's jaws.

"Run faster!" she yelped, slapping Kisame's back. But even as he raced across the sand, she could see the tongues of flames drawing closer and closer. Squeezing her eyes shut, she cast a shield around Kisame, praying that it would be enough to protect all three of them.

"Shit!" Sakura exclaimed as the flash of heat burned across her hand.  
The falcon emblem fell from her grasp, landing in the sand. But besides the stinging in her palm, everything else seemed alright. When she squeezed one eye open, she understood why.

Neji, barely conscious, had managed to conjure a sleet storm over the beast. As the snow and rain pelted the sand, they extinguished the flame. The dragon scrabbled for purchase on the slick ice that had covered the sand. It huffed more fire as it struggled to gain its footing. But after a moment, it skid on a particularly slick patch and fell to the ground.

"Eat shit, dragon tits!" Tenten howled as she raised her crossbow and unleashed a bolt in the dragon's direction. The scaly beast writhed as the bolt drove deep into its side.

"Kill it! I'm almost out of spell slots!" Sakura called to no one in particular.

"Dibs!" Naruto whooped as he raised his greataxe.

"Put your back into it, kid!" Kisame reminded him. And then, a moment later, Kisame added in a smaller voice, "Oh, shit, the ice."

"Oh," Sakura and Neji both said.

Everyone watched as Naruto slipped. His momentum sent him barreling straight into the dragon, the blade of his axe plunging into the moaning creature's chest.

"Oh, nevermind. That was good," Sakura sighed with relief.

"OW!"

With its final breath, the dragon mustered enough energy to smash its tail into Naruto's chest, knocking him to the ground.

"... sort of," Sakura amended.

Everyone waited to make sure that the dragon had stopped moving before they slowly began moving. Tenten hunted down the weapons she had dropped in her hurry. And once she had collected those, she climbed atop the fallen beast to wrench her knives from its leathery flesh.

"Owwww. Sakuraaaa. Fix me!" Naruto whined, waving a hand in no particular direction. The front of his shirt was soaked dark red as his blood soaked through. It couldn't have been anything too serious from the way he was both conscious and speaking. But Sakura still didn't feel like risking it.

"Do you want me to take you over there?" asked Kisame.

Sakura glanced at him. She had forgotten that she was still flopped over Kisame's shoulder. She noticed a faint scar running along the side of his neck, all the way from behind his ear, disappearing into his shirt.

"Nah. This one's verbal. I don't have to touch him," she replied.

Closing her eyes, Sakura muttered the healing prayer that she had learned many years ago. Green light encased her hand. As the divine energy flowed through her, the red streak on her hand shrunk and faded. And from on top of the melting ice, she heard Naruto inform her, "Thanks, Sakura! I'm good!"

Kisame looked from Sakura to Neji. He scratched his nose as he thought. And then he said, "You know, you guys can get down now."

"Don't feel like it," Sakura responded.

"Your shoulder is really comfortable," Neji agreed.

Glowering, Kisame shrugged and sent both of them tumbling into the sand.

By the time they'd gathered their things (and Kakashi, for some reason, had harvested some of the dragon's teeth of all things), it was time to start thinking about setting up camp. Kakashi started a fire while Asuma went to explore the dragon's cave to see if they could take shelter inside. As Sasuke went looking for water, Sakura patted her bare wrist. She searched her pockets.

"Ah, shit, I think I lost my holy symbol," she announced.

Naruto's ears perked up. Throwing his head back, he cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Sasuke!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Tenten snorted, hand on her hips. "Naruto, there's no way he'll hear you."

Ignoring her, Naruto tried again. Louder this time. "SASUKE!"

And then, there was a faint reply from far away.

"What?!"

Kisame let out a snort. Neji shook his head in disbelief.

"Sakura lost her holy symbol!"

There was a pause. And then Sasuke called, "Her what?"

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Her necklace, stupid!"

There was an even longer pause.

"Then find it, stupid!"

Naruto tilted his head to one side as he considered that. "Oh yeah." And then he spun around once, staring at the sand surrounding them on all sides.

"Where'd you last have your necklace thingy, Sakura? Sakura?"

Naruto turned back around to find Sakura squatting in the sand, her head in her hands. He rushed over to her.

"Are you alright? Are you sick? Is it because you don't have your god necklace?" babbled Naruto, shaking her shoulder. It took Sakura a long time to raise her head. And when she did, she was pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers.

"Naruto."

"Yeah?"

"...If I knew where I had my symbol last, do you think it would still be lost?" she questioned slowly. Patiently.

Naruto tilted his head to the other side, taking a long time to think. And then he looked at Sakura to shrug. "I don't know. I'm not the one who lost it," he answered. He looked bewildered as Kisame walked past to slap him a high five. Naruto's confusion lasted for all of five seconds before he looked over and saw that Sakura was gone. He spotted her disappearing over a dune of sand, Tenten and Neji running not far behind her.

"Hey! Wait up!" Naruto yelled. He grabbed the sleeve of Kisame's tunic as he took off.

"Why are you dragging me too?" demanded Kisame, scrambling to keep up with him.

"It's not fair if Sakura gets a buddy and I don't. Duh," Naruto answered before he continued on in his mad dash through the sand. Kisame toyed with the idea of gnawing his own arm off to escape before he sighed and decided to follow along.

They scoured the sands for several minutes. It was easy to see where they'd been from the corpses of snakes littering their path. Some of them were missing. There were plenty of hungry scavengers in the desert who were probably glad for a free meal. Tenten kicked one of the snakes aside to check underneath.

"Dude, help me move this," said Naruto, pointing at a giant boulder. Neji stared at him.

"Why would it be under there?" demanded Neji.

Naruto rubbed the side of his nose. "Dunno. Maybe it crawled under there? With god powers? Can it do that?"

Neji just continued staring at him. But Naruto started to really think now.

"Hey, Sakura, can your holy thing move on its own? Is it, like, alive?" wondered Naruto.

"I think Naruto's saying something," Tenten pointed out. Sakura straightened, dusting sand from her hands.

"Just ignore him. He'll stop eventually," muttered Sakura in return.

"Oh. There it is. Right by your foot," Naruto pointed out a little while later. Sakura followed his finger. She squinted until she saw a little glint of gold next to Kisame's boot.

For some reason, Kisame hesitated. His eyes darted from the gleaming symbol to Naruto. But when Sakura took a step forward, Kisame held out his hand to stop her.

"It's alright. I got it," Kisame assured her. He grabbed it and handed it over to her. Sakura accepted it with a smile. But as he turned away, he flexed his hand. Clenching and unclenching his fingers. Forehead wrinkling, Sakura began to wonder about it before she heard Naruto call her name.

"It's gonna get dark. Let's go back!" Naruto urged.

Sakura hesitated for one last second. Feeling her stare, Kisame glanced over his shoulder at her. His eyes sharpened for a moment as he caught her gaze. Sakura didn't look away as she thought. Slowly, she offered him a smile.

"Let's go, big guy," she said.

After a moment, Kisame smiled, too. "Sure, Doc," he replied.

They turned around and headed back in the direction of their camp for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Stage 3**: Water Level

* * *

The journey through the desert was slow-going and hot. Which the members of the party complained about daily. Harsh winds whipped through without warning. And Asuma sighed every once in a while about how his dulcimer was filling up with sand.

They emerged a couple weeks later with varying degrees of tans and sunburns. Naruto had only managed to break his wrist, which he had lied about for a couple days until Sakura had caught him grimacing about it one morning.

"Hold him down," Sakura ordered. Naruto howled as Sasuke and Tenten seized him. And then his howl went up an octave as Sakura smacked his wrist with her mace.

"Uh... I know you have a lot of pent up anger towards Naruto, but torture seems a little extreme," Kisame commented. Sasuke looked offended as he looked up. Eyes watering, Naruto managed to also look insulted.

"This idiot waited too long to tell me. So the bones set wrong," Sakura replied. She dropped her mace into the sand. One hand grasped Naruto's hand while the other grasped his forearm.

"So now I have to-" Sakura twisted hard. Naruto yelped. "-set it." He sniffled, leaning against Sasuke, who rolled his eyes and knocked his fist into the side of his head.

"This is your fault," Sasuke reminded him.

Seeing that he would get no sympathy from Sasuke, Naruto turned his teary gaze to Sakura. She also rolled her eyes, but held her hands out to him.

"Alright, alright. Come here," sighed Sakura. Lower lip jutting out, Naruto slowly placed his arm in her waiting hands.

"Besides, if Sakura smashed Naruto with her mace every time he annoyed her, he'd be dead by now," added Sasuke. He squeezed Naruto's shoulder a couple times before he released him.

Naruto began laughing until the words sunk in. "Yeah, I'd be- wait. What?"

Kisame got up from his seat, folding up the map. As Sakura placed her hands back on Naruto's wrist, they began to glow green. Kisame walked up behind them, peering over her head to watch her work.

"Why couldn't you just do that in the first place?" he wondered.

"Healing magic is very different from medicine. Think of it as supporting combat. It's meant to stop people from dying in the middle of battle. Whereas medicine is supposed to restore balance in the body," replied Sakura. It was a valid question. In fact, it was one she had heard many times by now. And she didn't mind explaining it at all. "Healing magic can stop bleeding, but it can't reposition a bone."

"I can't tell you how many times she's saved my ass," Naruto bragged.

"Yeah, like the time a bear almost bit your head off," sighed Sasuke, shaking his head a little.

Everyone laughed. And so did Sakura. But the corners of her mouth didn't turn up enough. And when she glanced up, she saw that Kisame was watching her. He wasn't laughing either.

Most aspects of Sakura's life were simple. And many people knew about her. After all, she was the success story that all the people of the empire hoped for. Raised in a tiny village, dreaming of becoming someone who could help others. Using what little knowledge she could gather from the village elders and her own studies, she had joined up with a ragtag band of adventurers who were on their way to the capital.

All things considered, things had turned out well. And she kept her story simple whenever people asked what she had done to get to where she was. Everyone laughed at her modesty. Sakura laughed along with them, just so no one would know.

Healing was horrific. Gruesome beyond words. Because pain was a warning to stop. Healing magic shoved those warnings aside and urged the body to go on. It perverted the laws of nature, in some ways.

The only people who seemed to understand this were the other clerics she had run into on her journeys. And when she pointed out the members of her party, Naruto in particular, they would all give the same sort of sympathetic grimace. Patting her hands and telling her to be strong. Sakura had gotten good at picking out the cleric in a party with just a glance. They were always the ones who looked the most exhausted.

Sakura tried her best not to make her feelings too obvious. Because she liked being able to save her teammates. And despite her nagging and yelling, she loved Naruto's boldness. His fearlessness that drove him to accomplish the impossible. But each time he brought up his accomplishments, she couldn't help but remember all the damage that came with it. Severed limbs, ruptured organs. Gouges in the flesh revealing bone and sinew. Blood bubbling up black and slippery as she tried to remember the right spells.

As they camped on the coast just outside the desert, Tenten wandered over. After a heavy dinner, most of the members of their party were already sleeping by the fire. Sakura had cast a light spell near her journal. Little bits of light danced around her like fireflies, glowing just enough to see by. She had darkvision, so she didn't necessarily need it. But it was nice.

"You ok?" Tenten asked as she stopped beside her.

"Yeah. Just unwinding a little," replied Sakura, smiling. Her journal sat in her lap. She had started off using it to remember all the things she learned during her travels. But somehow it had become more of a running record of all the ways the members of her party managed to hurt themselves. And it was kind of helpful to leave all those thoughts on paper so they wouldn't have to live in her head as much.

Tenten peeked at the notes for a moment, squinting at Sakura's script in the low light.

"Neji and I've been in this area before. We should hit a town tomorrow if we move quickly," Tenten told her. Sakura let out a sigh of relief. Chuckling, Tenten clapped her on the shoulder.

"I know. Real food," Tenten said.

"And real booze," added Sakura.

"Feather pillow."

"A hot bath."

They both sighed at that. They were quiet for a moment. And then Tenten released her shoulder.

"You worked hard today, Sak. Try to get some rest," Tenten said.

Just on the border of the desert, a pack of angry hyenas had ambushed them. It had been tiring work purifying the wounds before healing them over. Animal bites almost always festered without the proper treatment.

"Thanks. Good night," Sakura replied with a smile.

She could barely hear Tenten stepping away. But that was only to be expected from a rogue like her. She had a habit of moving so silently that she scared Naruto whenever she popped up in the middle of a conversation. Sakura had a feeling that the halfling did it more on purpose. Naruto's reactions were hilarious, after all.

A little while later, someone else approached. And Sakura heard the heavy footfalls this time.

"Hey," Sakura acknowledged him, not looking up as Kisame's huge shadow fell across her. He grunted as he settled on the sand beside her. He stretched his arms over his head, unleashing a huge yawn.

A moment passed. And then Sakura asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Naruto just snores like hell," grumbled Kisame. Sakura snickered a little at that.

"Yeah, he does," she agreed.

The ink had finished drying on the pages. She closed her journal, running her palms along the soft leather cover. She dispelled the light spell with a wave of her hand. There was no need for it anymore. When she looked over, Kisame had his eyes closed. So it startled her a little when he spoke again.

"What're you doing over here all alone, Doc?"

"I'm not alone," she replied. That made Kisame open his eyes. He rose on his elbows to follow her pointing finger to Kakashi who leaned against a big piece of driftwood further down the beach.

"Oh. Shit. Hey, Kakashi," Kisame greeted him. Kakashi opened one eye and nodded his head. After a moment, the rogue closed his eye again.

"And we're over here because..." Sakura trailed off, holding a finger up as she listened. After a moment, Naruto let out a snort, followed by a generous smack of his lips. Sakura gave Kisame a pointed look. "Because Naruto snores," she finished her thought.

She lowered her hand back in her lap. "But it's also because... well... big group. Lots of people. A little peace and quiet feels nice," Sakura then added.

"Can't hate the quiet," Kisame agreed, nodding his head a little.

He laid back down in the sand, crossing his hands across his stomach as he closed his eyes.

"Do you remember anything? Or is it still all fuzzy?" Sakura queried.

Kisame shook his head. Then realized that she probably couldn't see from that angle and said, "Fuzzy like a bear's ass."

According to Naruto, when they had stumbled upon Kisame, he had no memory of anything. Even his own name had come to him later.

Sakura thought for a moment. And then she said, "I'm sorry about that. I hope you remember soon."

"Thanks."

As Kisame shifted his arm, Sakura spotted the shine of something wet.

"You're hurt. Did I miss you before?" Sakura wondered. Pushing her journal to the side, Sakura turned toward him.

"Must've been out of range when you cast your spell or something," answered Kisame. With her darkvision, she could see the smile on his face when he looked at her too. He pushed her hand down as she reached for his cut.

"Aw, don't look so worried. You're tired, Doc. And I heal fast," he assured her.

"...Alright. I'm gonna nag to check in the morning," she warned. Kisame's smile widened.

"You got it, Doc," he chuckled. He crossed his arms beneath his head, eyes closing.

Sakura found her journal and placed it in her lap again. She closed her eyes, too. Soaking in the gentle whoosh of the waves rolling back and forth. White noise that filled her head, pushing out all the thoughts that usually buzzed around inside.

And then Sakura's eyes flew open as she realized something.

"...I didn't know tieflings had darkvision too," she declared out loud.

There was no response.

Their journey continued along the coast of the Sleeping Gulf. It was a huge sea teeming with life. Fishermen rose before dawn, casting out their nets. They could tell when someone made a good catch just from the yelling. Little wooden boats swaying back and forth as they struggled to lift the nets. Sometimes, fishermen in nearby boats jumped over to help with the haul.

"That's really nice," Sakura suddenly said as she watched one such instance.

"That they won't go hungry?" asked Kisame, unsure of what she meant.

"No. That they help each other. That's nice," Sakura answered.

The homesickness washed over her. Sudden and strong. She pinched her lips together as she continued to watch the fishermen struggling in the distance.

When she stole a glance back at the rest of the party, she smiled a little. Naruto and Asuma were chatting with one of the fishermen who had returned to the shore with his haul already. Neji listened in as he bent over to stare at the fish flopping in the net. Tenten picked up on the fish and shoved it into his hands, cackling when he yelped and dropped it. The back of his neck turned red as she patted his arm in apology.

A little further away, Sasuke stood talking to Kakashi. He held a set of lockpicks in his hands as he spoke. And then Kakashi raised his own tools to demonstrate something. Sasuke copied his movements.

Sakura turned back to the water. There was no point in being homesick. She tried to remind herself that as she folded her arms across her chest. But as she stole another look over her shoulder, she saw that Naruto was watching her now. He said something to the fisherman and clapped him on the shoulder before he jogged over. He threw his arms around her, knocking the wind out of her.

"Hey! What're you doing? You smell like fish!" Sakura griped. Naruto crushed her against his chest, grinning. Ignoring her as she swatted at his arm a few times.

"You just looked like you could use a hug," Naruto told her. Sakura's scowl softened a little. She lowered her hand.

"Was I right?" Naruto inquired.

"...kind of," Sakura muttered as she let him sway her back and forth. She could see his tail swishing in the same rhythm as it knocked against her leg.

"Don't worry, Sakura. We'll kill the stupid demon king and then everything will be alright," he assured her.

Because they began to hear stories everywhere they went. Plagues falling on entire towns. Crops turning to ash overnight. And monsters that normally belonged in the darknesses were beginning to creep up in unexpected places. Whatever the demon king was planning, it was hurting people with no power to fight back.

That wasn't why Sakura felt the way she did. But it made her smile that Naruto tried to comfort her anyway. She patted his arm.

"Just stop getting hurt in dumb ways," she ordered.

"You know that's impossible," was Naruto's cheerful reply. Sakura heaved a sigh.

They made their way up the coast at a good pace. Little villages littered the shores. And there were even towns big enough to almost be called cities. Unlike in the desert, where they had found struggled to find shelter, there was always an inn with rooms. And if the inns were full, by nightfall, Naruto had always made friends with someone who offered to let them stay in their house. This was one of the few times, Sasuke whispered to her, that he didn't mind Naruto's stupidly high charisma score.

The only real challenge on this leg of the trip were the sea hags that liked to sneak up on them. And a few irate sea lions- one of which dealt Sasuke a full body slam when his attention was elsewhere. (They teased him about that for a day or two afterwards.)

According to the map, and according to Naruto, all they had to do in this area was find a way to retrieve whatever weapon sat at the bottom of the sea. And then it was on to the mountains. However, with Naruto in charge, there was no way things would move so quickly. They had to stop to help a merchant fix his broken cart. Or a woman whose child had gotten lost on an errand.

"I can't say I'm saving people and then not save people," Naruto protested the one time someone brought it up.

They sat, like many nights before, in a tavern. In a half-circle around the fireplace. Sakura, who had arrived a little later, found an empty seat between Kisame and Sasuke. She patted Sasuke's knee as she sat down. He lifted his chin in acknowledgement. Kisame pushed an untouched drink over to her.

"...I can't believe I'm about to say this, but maybe Naruto is right," Tenten finally responded.

"What'd I miss?" whispered Sakura.

Kisame tilted his head toward her. "Asuma and his crew are arguing that Naruto's wasting too much time taking side missions."

Sakura coughed as she set her drink down. She wiped the foam from her lips. "We can't just not help people who ask for it," she protested.

Shaking his head, Sasuke sighed, "You sound just like him." He leaned back in his seat.

"Right, Sakura?" Naruto said, turning to her.

Sakura, who had missed that part of the conversation, looked into Naruto's face. At his big blue eyes shining. Sakura only hesitated for a moment before she responded, "Right. What Naruto said." Naruto beamed at her. Sakura hid her smile as she took another sip of her drink.

The party took a vote. And they decided that stopping to help people with minor quests wasn't such a bad idea. As a bonus, it earned them a decent amount of gold here and there. Especially as people heard that the Imperial Physician was around and brought their sick children and relatives to be healed. A few monster infestations in the area were also brought to their attention, which Naruto was more than happy to address with his axe in hand.

A few weeks passed on the coast of the Sleeping Gulf. They settled into an old inn that had closed down long ago. After a day of hard scrubbing and dusting, it turned into a halfway decent place for their party to eat and sleep. And the grateful people in the area were more than happy to provide any food and supplies they might need.

"I know we can't stay forever... but _man_, I wish we could stay here forever," remarked Tenten as she lounged by the fire in the kitchen. Sakura hummed in agreement as she took a sip of herbal tea.

One morning, Naruto left a note tacked to the kitchen table, asking everyone to meet him out on the beach. Neji, who was always the first to rise, went around knocking on doors. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen, as usual, but he would show up. He always did.

About an hour later, they found Naruto pacing the beach.

"So there's an old man who says he'll give me a ride on his boat to the middle of the sea. But in exchange he needs help with something," Naruto informed them, squinting up at the sunlight. He accepted the strip of beef jerky Sasuke handed him. He ripped off a chunk once he finished speaking.

Sakura sat on a rock beneath the shade of a palm tree. Tenten sat beside her, shielding her eyes against the sun. As they listened, they ripped off chunks from a flour-dusted loaf of bread. Passing it back and forth until nothing remained.

"Why not just have Neji cast water breathing on you guys and you can swim down?" Sasuke demanded.

"I don't wanna swim all the way from here to the middle of the sea and waste energy. Besides, I can't just not help the guy now. I said I would," answered Naruto. Which were some surprisingly logical responses.

"Okay. Well, what's the problem?" asked Kakashi, folding his arms across his chest. Sakura jolted when she heard the thief, who she hadn't noticed sneak up on them. Tenten snickered, knocking into her shoulder. Sakura scowled and nudged her back.

"He has crabs," Naruto replied.

Tenten collapsed against Sakura's arm, shaking with silent giggles. Everyone else in the party exchanged glances.

Eventually, Neji was the first one to speak: "...I beg your pardon?"

"He's got crabs. Tons of them. Infesting his whole village," Naruto went on, oblivious to Kisame struggling not to laugh now. Shaking his head, Sasuke covered his face with his hands.

"He must be... itching... to deal with his problem," Asuma remarked, rubbing his chin. He smirked when he saw Sakura snort into her fist. She hid her face against her shoulder.

"You should've thought this through first, Naruto. No need to make a _rash_ decision," Kisame chimed in. Sakura slapped his back a few times, frantically kicking her legs to hold in her laughter. Kisame turned to look at her, grinning as he tried to catch her hand. And he winced when she slapped at him again.

Naruto looked perplexed as Sakura lost the battle and snorted out loud. She, Tenten, and Kisame dissolved into cackles. Sakura fell onto her back on the stone, still slapping at Kisame, her other hand gripping Tenten's arm. Sasuke's shoulders shook and it was difficult to tell whether he was laughing or crying.

"What's up with them?" Naruto asked. Asuma put an arm around his shoulders.

"No idea. But you gotta love 'em... Warts and all..." the bard sighed.

Later that day, they took off in the direction of the village the old man had indicated on the map. Although Kisame occasionally snickered about the crab infestation, that died down when they arrived in the village. Indeed, it was covered with crabs. The blue and red creatures scuttled over the wooden sign that welcomed visitors. Every building was covered with the things. And more of the crustaceans scuttled from under doors and through shattered windows.

Flame flickered to life in Sasuke's left hand as they made their way through the village. Kicking the critters to the side when they scuttled too close.

"Should've brought some butter," remarked Kisame as they peered into an abandoned building.

"This doesn't make sense. Crabs don't usually live this far inland," Neji murmured. A curious crab ventured up to the point of his boot. Neji nudged it aside, a touch more gently than the rest of his companions.

Naruto stopped walking. He turned to look at Neji. "Yeah. That's right. Do crabs need water to survive?"

Everyone paused to consider that.

"Some do and some don't. These aren't terrestrial, though. So there has to be a source of water nearby," Sasuke answered. He knelt down. The same crab that had approached Neji scurried up to Sasuke.

"Don't nip me," warned Sasuke before he grasped the crab by one of its waving claws.

"What's he doing?" whispered Naruto.

"I think... I think he's talking to it," answered Sakura.

Sasuke closed his eyes as he murmured an incantation. The crab stopped struggling in his grasp. When Sasuke opened his eyes again, he set the crab down on the soil. The creature stood there, like it was waiting.

"What are you doing here?" asked Sasuke.

The crab was still for a moment. And then it began gurgling softly as it waved its claws around. Sasuke's face scrunched up.

"He says... they all hatched here. These are all his brothers and sisters," Sasuke tossed over his shoulder.

There was more gurgling.

"And there wasn't enough room where they were so they moved up here."

When there was no response from his party, Sasuke turned to look at them.

They all stood together. Staring at him.

"Sasuke, it's okay to talk about your feelings with us. You don't have to pretend to talk to a crab if you want attention," Naruto was the first to speak.

Sakura struggled not to laugh.

"Stop joking around. My spell only lasts for a few minutes," Sasuke growled.

"Aw, don't be so crabby, Sasuke," Tenten teased.

Sakura lost it again. She broke into giggles, collapsing against Naruto's side. Naruto held her up, grinning. Grumbling under his breath, Sasuke whipped his head back around to address the little crab. The creature continued gurgling and waving its claws, sometimes clicking them together. Sasuke nodded, occasionally asking questions. And when the spell wore off, the crab wandered away.

"There's some kind of mother nesting in the springs under the town. It should be that way," Sasuke declared, pointing.

"I'm so glad to see you coming out of your shell and making friends, Sasuke," Kakashi replied. And Sakura, who had just recovered from her giggle attack, let out a snort and slapped Kakashi's arm as she walked past.

With Sasuke's tracking skills and Neji's general knowledge of nature, it didn't take long to find the source of all the crawling critters. There was a spring not too far from the little village, just like the little crab had claimed. Tenten eyed the ooze hanging from the mouth of the cave and cringed.

"Do we have to go in there?" she groaned.

"Yep," Naruto replied. Popping his lips at the end of the word.

"Seems gross," Sakura commented, peering into the cave and its damp tunnels.

"Okay. Let's come up with strategy. First-" Tenten interrupted Neji by pointing. He turned around just in time to glimpse Naruto running right into the cave with his axe held aloft. He let out a heavy sigh. Sasuke clapped him on the shoulder.

Everyone took off after Naruto, swatting away crabs and strings of goo as they moved. While the smaller crabs just seemed curious, the larger ones were aggressive and fast. They pounced with snaps of their sharp claws. Everyone did their best to wack them aside and rush ahead. But after smashing her tenth crab with her mace, Sakura really did wish they had a vat of boiling butter.

At the very end of the cave, they could hear the sound of flowing water. And they could feel the water sloshing first at the soles of their feet and then around their ankles as they kept moving. With her darkvision, Sakura spotted something moving in the darkness. Wet and shiny.

"Duck!" she shouted just as an enormous claw came smashing down on them.

As Sakura got to her feet, clothes soaking, she heard a strange rattling noise. It took her a second to realize that it was the sound of dozens upon dozens of legs scuttling toward them.

"Fuck all these crabs," she heard Tenten snarl from somewhere by her elbow.

Crabs by themselves were a low-level monster. Not all that challenging. But the unending waves, along with the huge beast smashing its claws down and hissing acid at them, Sakura could hardly catch her breath. As Naruto pounced, the sharpened tips of one of the claws caught him across the thigh. Sakura heard Naruto cry out before he landed with a splash too close to the gigantic crab.

Out of the corners of her eyes, she could see more crabs advancing. Sasuke held his hand over his bleeding arm as he slashed his sword in great arcs. At her back, she could feel Kakashi firing arrow after arrow until he ran out. He cursed softly as he swapped his bow out for his sword. Neji's magic missile collided with two crabs. As they sizzled, a delicious smell filled the dank cave.

"Seriously, FUCK this crab!" Tenten exclaimed again just before she let out a strangled shout.

"Tenten!" Neji's panicked voice echoed around the cave.

Sakura's head whipped back toward the enormous crab. Naruto lay unmoving in the water. Tenten crouched beside him, both hands pressed to her side. Neji ran to her, hands outstretched. All of them oblivious to the beast watching them with beady eyes. Foam gurgling up at its mouth as it snapped sharp claws together.

In that instant, Sakura could smell the blood in her memories. Coppery and bitter. Slippery as it coated her hands and wrists. The memory was burned into her brain. Ears ringing as she stooped in the ashes to find the pieces of Naruto to bind him back together again with magic. Throat clogging with bile and tears as she tried to remember the incantations as she placed his hand next to his arm. And his foot next to his leg.

As the giant crab opened its mouth, acid bubbling bright green between the clicking parts, Sakura felt the word, "NO!" rake its way up her throat. Her legs burning as she ran as fast as she could. Hands filling with magic. Knowing that she would never make it in time.

Across the cave, Kisame threw his hand out. Bits of crystal burst from the tips of his fingers with a shattering sound.

And then time froze.

The droplets of water hung in the air. Suspended like tiny crystals dangling from invisible thread. Crabs hovered in the air mid-jump. The debris that swirled around the gigantic monster hung there too. Bits of dirt and dust spraying up in dramatic arcs.

On Kisame's right palm was a shiny burn. In the shape of her holy symbol. A falcon seared into his skin.

Their gazes met. His eyes were even wider than hers. And in that instant, she understood something that she shouldn't have. Something so absurd that her brain rejected the idea at first.

But there was no denying it. Some tiefling mercenary could never pull off something like this. This was advanced time magic. Far beyond what even she could understand. And a holy symbol wouldn't have burned a tiefling.

A single shaky breath puffed out of her mouth. Slowly, Sakura raised her pointer finger to her lips. Kisame copied her.

* * *

Naruto let out a groan as he stretched his legs out.

"That was a good fight!" he declared. And then he groaned again as he strained his thigh. Sakura rapped her knuckles against his skull. She skirted around Asuma, who was busy adding crab legs to the soup bubbling away over the fire.

"I said don't move," she scolded.

"Aw, Sakura," Naruto grumbled, rubbing the back of his head, "Can't I just eat some herbs and get better?"

"That's not how this works," Sakura reminded him. She stepped past him to crouch beside the cot set up beside the fireplace.

"How're you feeling?" she asked in a softer voice.

"Kind of light-headed. But better," Tenten replied. Neji sat on the floor beside her, his eyes closed. He held one of Tenten's hands between both of his. He hadn't moved at all since their battered party had managed to hobble back to their temporary home. Tenten gave her hand a pointed look. Sakura returned the look with a sly shrug of her shoulders.

"You'll need a couple days to recuperate from the blood loss, but you'll be fine," Sakura decided. And then she nudged Neji's foot before adding, "You hear that?"

When he stubbornly kept his eyes closed, Sakura snorted. "Elves don't sleep. Quit acting."

As she turned around, she caught Neji slowly opening his eyes. He looked down at Tenten's hand still held between her own. He gave it a squeeze before he closed his eyes again.

Naruto healed fairly quickly so she hadn't bothered with stitches. She gave him one last spoonful of medicine to help with the pain. Asuma promised to keep watch over things in the kitchen before he shooed her out to go take a nap before dinner.

Kakashi had claimed the area behind the bar as his room. She poked her head over to find the thief lounging on his bedroll. Sakura motioned with both her hands until he sat up. He raised his eyepatch and then let his arms fall to his sides. Sakura unwound the red scarf that he wore night and day- no matter the weather. Which she didn't understand because there was nothing wrong with his face. At least, not usually. His chin definitely wasn't supposed to stick out like that.

"I knew you were being too quiet. Hang on. This'll hurt," Sakura said. She waited for him to give a little nod before she popped his dislocated jaw back into place. She gathered energy, burning her last spell slot to weave the muscle and sinew back together.

"Don't open your mouth too wide for the next day or so. If it starts hurting again, _tell me_," Sakura scolded as she released Kakashi's face.

Because while Kakashi kept a lot of things secret, Sakura knew that he always prioritized everyone else's healing over his own. That hadn't changed about him in their years apart. He patted her hand before he redid his scarf and lowered his eyepatch.

Bone-weary and fresh out of spell slots, Sakura trudged upstairs. She passed the floor where Sasuke would already be fast asleep. Across the hall, for obvious reasons, Neji's room sat empty. And then she passed the floor where Naruto usually slept alone, due to his thunderous snores. And then the floor where Kisame slept alone, due to his own snores, which he denied even existed in the first place.

Sakura paused.

And then she backtracked.

The floorboards creaked under her boots. So it was probably no surprise when she knocked on the door. There was no sound from inside, but she entered anyway.

Kisame sat on his bed, facing the door. His enormous weapon was propped up in the corner, still glistening with blood. She thought she saw his eyes flash as he looked up.

Sakura leaned against the door, letting her weight push it shut. Kisame arched an eyebrow at her.

"Tiefling, huh?" she began.

Her breath caught in her throat as his hand whipped out. She flinched, waiting for the blow. Instead, she heard the door lock under her elbow. A wave of magic washed over her in what she recognized as a silencing spell. No one outside the room would be able to hear them.

She cracked one eye open. Then another.

"Careful, Doc. You can't take back words," he warned, lips parting in a toothy grin.

Eyes locking with his, she whispered, "Is that so, Demon King?"

Kisame's smile widened. He leaned forward a little.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"Huh?"

"I'll bite. You're trying to get me to buy your silence. So... what'll it be? Money? Power? More life?" Kisame spelled out for her, crossing his arms across his chest. His teeth were sharper, his black eyes sparkling. And she could see the tips of his fingers sharpening into claws as they tapped against his forearms.

And while these sinister details were alarming, they didn't overpower her confusion. Which took priority at the moment.

"N-nothing. I just wanted the truth," she told him.

He scrutinized her, face scrunching up. He loomed over her. And as he shifted, Sakura glimpsed his shadow sprawling across the floorboards. Which somehow had sprouted wings. Her eyes snapped back to Kisame's face.

"It's never just the truth. Everyone wants something more," he insisted.

"You've been traveling with Naruto for close to a year. You've had plenty of chances to kill him, but you haven't. So you must have your reasons for being here," she pointed out. Proud of the way her voice didn't quiver.

Kisame's eyes narrowed. "So... you just wanted... to know what's happening?"

"Yes. Oh and to ask a question."

Kisame looked a little disappointed at that. "And what's your question?"

Sakura stared square into his face. "Is your intention to hurt people?"

Something flickered in Kisame's gaze. He let out a heavy breath. The wings in his shadow disappeared. And his claws became fingers again. He turned his head to the side as he said, "You probably won't believe me, but no."

The silence that hung about them was heavy. And then Sakura took a deep breath. As her mouth opened, Kisame's eyes narrowed.

"I believe you," answered Sakura.

She felt Kisame's black eyes bore into her. Like he was digging around in the very depths of her soul. And then he let out a snort of laughter.

"You really are _that_ good, huh," he remarked.

Sakura shrugged. "I guess." And then she lifted her finger to her mouth.

"I'll keep your secret. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone," Sakura promised. Kisame scrutinized her one last time before he slowly raised his finger to mirror her gesture.

With that, Kisame gestured to the chair tucked under the desk. Sakura pulled it out to take a seat. While she didn't insult him by dragging it to the opposite end of the room, she didn't exactly pull up a seat right beside him. Kisame's lips quirked up at the corners, but he didn't comment on it.

"So. You said you wanted the truth?" Kisame asked one more time.

Lips pursing, Sakura nodded.

Clicking his tongue, Kisame rubbed the side of his head. "Alright, truth is that I seriously can't remember everything."

"Well, you remember enough to know that you're the demon king, right?" Sakura offered. Kisame made a face.

"Yeah. One of them, anyway. But I'm definitely the one you're looking for," he agreed. His face pinched, eyes closing as he thought.

"What're you doing here instead of the Abyss?" she inquired.

Kisame pressed two fingers to his temple. "Uh... so... ruling my hellish realm... smiting underlings... hmm."

Sakura waited, trying to hide the way her hands shook by rubbing them over her thighs.

"Oh, shit. Yeah."

Sakura jerked her chin up.

"I have a greedy little henchman. He probably pulled some shit and threw me up here. And that'd explain why things are so messed up. That idiot was never good at management," grumbled Kisame. Sakura stared at him.

"What?" he demanded.

Sakura gave a nervous laugh. "Never imagined you as the managerial type."

Kisame looked offended at that. "Look. I'm all for chaos and torment. Just where it belongs. Abyss shit should stay in the Abyss."

When he pointed at her, Sakura flinched a little. Eyes widening, Kisame lowered his hand.

"Like you said, I haven't hurt any of you until now. That's not gonna change. I need your help getting home," he explained. Sakura chewed on her lip as she listened.

"...And after you get home?"

Kisame studied her expression for a moment. And then, chuckling to himself, he shook his head.

"Look, Doc, if it'll make you feel any better, let's do this," Kisame offered. He stretched out his hand. A gleaming length of ethereal parchment appeared. A quill popped into place too. It began writing as Kisame spoke.

"I, Kisame, also known as Dagon, Prince of the Depths, do hereby swear not to inflict any harm, intentional or unintentional, on the members of this adventuring party. Yadda-yadda- hey, don't write that part," Kisame scolded the quill. It jumped away from the page.

Sakura's forehead wrinkled. "List their names," she insisted.

Kisame let out another incredulous laugh, but he complied. And then he went on.

"The above listed peoples and entities will be guaranteed safe passage from the Abyss upon return of myself to my rightful place on the throne. They will be free from all curse, torture, or other forms of coercion, harm, or threat upon their return to the Material Plane. Good?" The quill flinched as Kisame shot it another glare. It hurriedly scribbled out the word 'good'.

Sakura squinted at the glowing parchment for a long time. Going over the words again and again.

"Put the part where I swear not to reveal your secret," Sakura prompted.

Kisame made another face. He shrugged one shoulder. "I mean, do I have to? I know you'll keep your word."

"But what if I tell someone?" she insisted.

Kisame barked out a laugh at that. "You won't. That's just who you are. But I'll stick it in if it makes you feel better."

The quill added those words with a flourish. Kisame seized it to sign his name at the bottom before he handed it over to Sakura. Sakura hesitated, reading over the contract one last time.

"If something goes wrong, does this mean I'll get dragged into a pit of torment or something?" she demanded, turning a suspicious glare toward him. Kisame snorted. He pinched her nose between his thumb and pointer finger.

"There's no place for a good woman like you in the pit, Doc. Sign the damn contract," he retorted.

And as soon as Sakura signed, both the scroll and the quill disappeared in a puff of smoke. Her eyes widened as she watched the smoke gather into a serpent. It flew over to Kisame, wrapping around his right forearm. Slowly, the snake flattened, seeping into the surface of his skin. Kisame gave it a cheerful slap.

"There you go, Doc. Everything's good," he declared. When he looked back to Sakura, she was quiet for a while. When she opened her mouth to speak, he raised his eyebrows, ready to listen.

"So the contract says you can't torture me. Does annoying me count as torture? Because then this feels like it won't last," Sakura pointed out.

Kisame stared for a beat. And then, throwing his head back, he burst into raucous laughter. He slapped his hand against his knee as he cackled.

"Man, Doc, I really like you," he chortled as he wiped a tear from his eye. Sakura smirked in response.


	4. Chapter 4

**Stage 4: **Mini Game! Maze Level

* * *

After the debacle with the giant crab, Sakura forced the majority of the party to stay on bedrest for a week. Whenever Naruto even thought about sneaking out of bed, Sakura appeared with a wooden spoon in hand to rap him across the knuckles.

"Geez, you're like my mom," Naruto complained.

"I wouldn't have raised a strange child like you," Sakura sniffed in return.

For the first few days, Sakura took to eyeing Kisame whenever he entered the room. Her eyes followed him especially closely whenever he got too close to Naruto. But as the days went on and no one in the party turned up dead in the middle of the night, Sakura decided that Kisame's contract hadn't been a hoax.

As soon as Sakura declared him well enough, Naruto ran to find the old man with the boat to report about their crab exploits. Kisame tagged along, dragging the half-rotting carcass of the slain gigantic crab as proof.

However, things didn't move as smoothly as they had hoped. The old man was more than happy to take them out to the deep water of the Sleeping Gulf. It was a small vessel, so only Naruto, Neji, and Kisame managed to squeeze in together. There, Neji cast water breathing over them. And then they dove into the waters in search of the legendary weapon that was supposed to lay in its depths. All in all, it was a solid strategy.

To Naruto's surprise, however, there was no sparkling sign pointing a a brave hero toward this boon. Waving fingers of kelp gave way to an underwater ruin of what must have been a great city. Sprawling and cold. Offering no clues.

After the first dive, the trio showed up on the doorstep, sopping wet and covered in kelp. A snail slowly crawled its way up Naruto's shoulder.

"Of course it'll be hard to find. It's a super-important weapon, right?" Sakura said in response to Naruto's complaints. Asuma plucked the snail off Naruto's shoulder. After glancing it over, he tossed it into the pot where dinner sat bubbling away.

"Try again tomorrow. Maybe you'll have better luck," Kakashi suggested. Naruto scowled as he shook the water out of his ear.

* * *

Day after day, Naruto returned just as soggy and just as empty-handed. Some days, they were ambushed by irate sea hags or eels. Whenever they returned covered in scratches or bites, Sakura just gave them a sympathetic grimace and healed them up. When she got to Kisame, Sakura did the usual routine of nagging and teasing him like she did for the others. But since her healing magic had no effect on him, they made due with playing pretend.

"What if someone notices?" Sakura asked one night as they headed out to grab more firewood from the shed in the back.

"No one could suspect you of anything. You're Miss Perfect," Kisame mocked.

Sakura jumped up to kick him in the rear. It wasn't a hard blow, but it was enough to make him stumble a few steps.

"You little brat," he growled. Throwing his wood aside, he ran after her to deal a retaliating blow.

But just a few nights later, Neji noticed something over dinner.

"Sakura, I saw Kisame limping. You're a good enough doctor not to miss something like that, so I'm assuming that he's trying to conceal it from you on purpose," Neji declared.

Sakura choked on her leg of pheasant. Naruto leaned over to thump her on the back. Tenten poured her another drink and pushed it into her hand. Once Sakura's coughing had settled somewhat, Neji spoke again.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you over dinner. Maybe I should've said it later."

Sakura waved her hand. "No, no. It's fine," she assured him. And then her eyes flickered to Kisame. "I'll take a look."

She knocked on Kisame's door a couple hours later. He rushed to hide his grimace as she barged in without waiting for his response.

"Hey! What if I was in the middle of something!" he protested, throwing his wet cloak at her. She dodged it, listening to it land in the corner with a wet thud.

Sakura rolled her eyes. she nudged his ankle with her foot and watched his face screw up.

"You sprained it," she announced in a flat voice. She reached into her belt to pull out a length of plain cloth.

"What're you gonna do? Strangle me?" Kisame scoffed.

"Oh, if only," Sakura sighed. She sat down on the floor. Before Kisame could snatch his foot away, she seized it. Ignoring his pained protests, she wrapped the cloth around his foot, and then up his ankle in swift tugs.

"Try moving it. Stupid," Sakura challenged.

Glaring at her, Kisame slowly twisted his foot. And then an odd look crossed his face as he repeated the motion.

"That should support your ankle until it's healed. Just don't go too crazy," Sakura warned as she got to her feet. She dusted off the back of her pants as she added, "I might not be able to cast healing spells on you, but I'm still a doctor... Stupid."

Sakura paused in the doorway. She thought for a moment, and then stuck her tongue out at Kisame before she slipped out of the room.

"Oh yeah, real mature!" Kisame called after her. But still he looked down at his bandaged foot and smiled a little.

One night, almost a month after Naruto had begun his search for the legendary weapon, Sakura glanced out the window. During the day, she slipped in and out of towns, offering medical help where she could. It was when she was free, later in the day, that she had the time to worry like this.

Sasuke and Tenten sat at the other end of the room, speaking in low voices as they polished their weapons.

Kakashi had found a dusty chess set hidden under the bar. He and Asuma had taken to playing each other during the quiet moments.

"They're usually back by sundown," Sakura remarked after a bit. She began to feel an anxious knot forming in the pit of her stomach. She set her book down, accidentally closing it before she could mark her place. She cursed softly.

Asuma glanced her way as he pushed a pawn forward two spaces. "They're three grown men with a bunch of weapons between them. They'll be fine," he assured her.

"I'll go out and see if I can track them. Sakura's right. They shouldn't be this late," declared Sasuke as he got to his feet. Tenten nudged the bottle of weapons polish aside before the end of the cloak could knock it over. But just as Sasuke grabbed his bow, the front door burst open.

Naruto hobbled in, Neji half-slung across his shoulders. Kisame held Neji up on his other side. He hung back to shut the door before he hurried forward to help Neji into the nearest chair.

"I'm fine," Neji gasped as everyone rushed to him. He waved a feeble hand to no one in particular. "I used up all my spell slots. I just need a nap." Sakura still checked him over for any injuries. And then she moved on to Naruto, who, besides some bruising on his ribs, seemed alright too. When she glanced at Kisame, she caught him wincing, but he still waved her off.

Kakashi moved the chessboard to the side to clear the table. Asuma slipped into the kitchen to warm up the stew that had been simmering away in the cauldron. As everyone moved around setting the table, Kisame headed upstairs. His heavy feet shuffling on the old floorboards.

"You gonna wash up before dinner, big guy?" Tenten called after him.

"I'll skip dinner. Night," Kisame called back.

Tenten's forehead wrinkled as she turned to Sakura. Putting on a smile, Sakura squeezed her shoulder. "Let's eat. I'll check on him later."

Everyone crowded around to dig into dinner. A thick stew filled with crab and other seafood. And there was enough hearty, dark bread to sop up the broth that lingered at the bottom of the bowl. As they ate, Naruto launched into detail about the monstrosities they'd faced at the bottom of the sea. He waved his spoon around to reenact the tentacles that had grabbed onto his ankle in the murky depths.

Sakura ate quickly. She squeezed out of her seat between Tenten and Asuma, not wanting to interrupt Naruto's tale. Slipping into the kitchen, she filled up a bowl with the stew, adding a loaf of bread and a glass of ale. She took the narrow stairs that led directly from the kitchen upstairs. It was probably a passage the staff had used when the building had still been a functioning inn.

Sakura bumped the small door open with her hip. She could feel the warm, damp air wafting out from the end of the hallway. Kisame had probably taken a bath while everyone else ate. She had no free hands to knock, so she tapped her foot against his door a couple was the rustle of fabric.

"Yeah?" Kisame called.

"Open up. My hands are full," Sakura ordered. There was a pause. And then the door swung inward.

Sakura shoved the tray into Kisame's hands. He looked surprised as he brought it to the small desk in the corner of the room.

Sakura leaned back on her heels, letting the door shut under her weight. Kisame wore his towel draped over his head ostensibly to dry his hair. But Sakura knew better. She scowled at him as she watched him settle in the desk chair. And she continued to stare him down as he ripped off a chunk of bread and dunked it into the stew before sticking it in his mouth.

"It's fine," he grunted, not looking at her.

Sakura stood there, arms folded across her chest as she watched him finish his dinner. Only when he had gulped down the last bit of his drink did Sakura speak again.

"Let me look at it, you big idiot," Sakura insisted. Kisame wiped his hands and then his mouth on his towel, which he then flung into the corner that he apparently designated for dirty laundry. He met her stare, hand pressed to his cheek. And she could see him calculating whether or not it was worth arguing with her that night. After a long moment, he let out a sigh of defeat. Sakura crossed the room to grasp his arm. She tugged his hand away from his face. He was much stronger than her. But after a moment, he relented.

"You have to be more careful than everyone else. My healing spells don't work on you," she scolded. She ran her fingers along his cheekbone. And then she reached into the belt slung around her waist. The little bottles inside clinked together. Kisame was surprisingly still as she searched for the right one.

"It won't heal you. But it'll make it hurt less," she told him as she uncorked it. Kisame sniffed. He scowled, reaching up for it. Sakura held it just out of his grasp. His hand rested on her wrist instead.

"I keep telling you, Doc. I heal fast. Don't worry about me," he told her for what felt like the millionth time. And for the millionth time, Sakura retorted.  
"Don't care. What kind of idiot tells a doctor not to help them?"

Kisame snickered. He flinched a little as the concoction touched the gouge on his cheek. Sakura cupped her hand over his eye to stop the medicine from running into it. His other eye swiveled to her, watching her as she worked.

"What was it this time?" she asked.

"A merrow," Kisame grumbled.

"They're territorial."

"Pissy, more like," he went on complaining. Sakura smiled a little at that. She dabbed a little soothing ointment along the cut.

"Do you think if you dealt necrotic damage to me, it would heal me?" Kisame wondered.

Sakura frowned as she considered that. She could tell from Kisame's serious expression that he wasn't joking. And a serious question deserved a serious answer. But she shook her head.

She pointed at herself. "I'm a cleric in the life domain. Pretty much the polar opposite of necromancy. Even if that would work, I couldn't deal that kind of damage," she declared.

"Shit." Kisame sighed, rubbing his jaw. As he looked up at her again, Sakura squinted. It looked like the cut had shrunk somewhat.

"Alright. I'll let you get some rest. Bring your own dishes down. I'm not your maid," Sakura said, her hands resting on her hips. Kisame barked out a laugh, shaking his head.

"I wouldn't ask you to unless I wanted you to smash my head in," he assured her. Sakura found herself laughing too as she headed back down the stairs. Back into the kitchen.

As she peered out past the swinging doors, Sakura could see (and hear) that Naruto had moved on to some new tale. His eyes sparkled as he moved his arms and his mouth to weave his tale. Kakashi sat in the corner, feet up on the bar as he listened. Asuma plucked an idle tune on his dulcimer, playing a soft accompaniment to Naruto's words. Sasuke leaned against the table, picking at his bread like he wasn't listening. But he still nodded his head and smirked as Naruto spoke. And on the opposite side of the table, their backs to her, Neji and Tenten sat together. Tenten absently stroked Neji's hand as she sat entranced by Naruto's tale. Her shoulder leaning against Neji's arm.

In the firelight, all of them glowed so beautifully. Sakura lost her breath a little as she realized how happy it made her to see them sitting there. unhurt. Smiling.

She leaned against the door for a moment, just watching them. In her daze, it took her a minute to realize that Naruto had stopped talking. He was staring right at her. Slowly, heads swiveled toward her.

"There you are! You're just in time for the best part!" Naruto called, motioning for her. Sasuke scooted over a bit to make space for her on the bench.

Tenten held up her cup and announced, "Asuma found some wine in the back cupboard!" Asuma continued playing as he dipped his head.

"Is this the story about the flaming bear? You're awful at telling it," laughed Sakura, pushing past the door.

"So get this. We get a letter from this dowager in the west one day," Sakura started off as she made her way to her seat.

"Maybe we're not bringing the right people. Sasuke, are you sure you don't want to come?" Naruto said one day as they headed out at the crack of dawn.

Sasuke stared at him. Slowly, he lifted his hand to point at his hair, which, as usual, flickered like the flame on top of a candle.

"I'm... literally... part fire, Naruto. Why would I dive into the water?"

Naruto wrinkled his nose as he considered that. "Oh... yeah. My bad," he replied.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke leaned against the doorway.

"Hey. Sasuke?" Naruto then asked.

"What."

"How do you shower, then?" Naruto questioned.

"Alright! We're off! See you, folks!" Kisame hurriedly announced. Grabbing Naruto by the collar of the shirt, he dragged the hero down the dirt path before Sasuke could roast him to a crisp.

"It's a maze," Neji declared when they returned that evening. He only winced a little when Sakura grasped his calf. She squinted as she examined his wound from different angles. Grumbling under her breath, she pulled on her glasses to get another look. Sasuke wandered up behind her and conjured a ball of fire into his palm for better lighting. She grunted her thanks without looking up.

"Someone messed with a sea urchin," Sakura discerned after a while. Neji didn't have time to respond as she grasped the end of the spine and tugged hard. He bit back what was surely a swear.

"This is poisonous. You're lucky this didn't hit you in a major organ," Sakura went on. She cast an easy purification spell over him before she closed up the wound.

"Naruto, I gotta be honest. It seems like we're getting nowhere. Maybe we should try something else," Tenten suggested, her hand in her cheek.

"Aw, come on. We almost got it," Naruto whined, leaning back in his chair.

"No, we don't," Kisame and Neji both snapped in response.

Naruto lurched forward, front two legs of his chair hitting the floor. He scowled at them. "Fine! What do you brainiacs suggest?"

"You say that like it's an insult and not a sad commentary on your lack of thinking," mumbled Sasuke. Naruto ignored him as he looked around the room.

"Well? Kakashi? Anyone?"

Kakashi gestured toward Sakura, who was finishing up slapping a bandage over Neji's calf. She got to her feet, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I believe Sakura has some ideas," Kakashi suggested. Because he had heard many of her suggestions one night as she sat at the kitchen table with Sasuke. And only when he had gone to cut her off had he realized that she had been drinking herbal tea and not alcohol.

"Okay. Sakura?" Naruto prompted, tone still a little testy.

Sakura took a deep breath before she gave a smile. Only it wasn't really a smile.

"Neji casts control water to part the sea. That gives us ten minutes to navigate the sea bed. Asuma casts freedom of movement on you, doofus," Sakura punctuated the last word with a pointed look in Naruto's direction. "And you run off to find your mythical whatever. The rest of us hang back to deal with any amphibious creatures that try to mess with us."

It was silent in the room. And then Tenten spoke.

"I like that plan," she declared.

"Me too," Sasuke agreed.

"Yeah, let's do that. I'm done kicking urchins and getting stabbed in the ass by sea hags," Kisame said, nodding.

The following morning, they set out at dawn. Asuma had a quick word with the fishermen about their plan. It took a little persuading, but they agreed to delay their fishing for a couple hours.

"You okay?" asked Sakura as she watched Neji step up to the shore. Water lapped at the very tips of his toes.

"Not the easiest spell I've ever cast. But preferable to getting chased by another merrow," Neji responded. Smiling, Sakura took a step back to let him concentrate.

Neji extended both his hands. He murmured an incantation. And then slowly, as he separate his hands, the water in the Sleeping Gulf mirrored his movements. Slowly splitting apart in a clean line. In the meantime, Asuma cast his spell over Naruto. Naruto jumped a couple times in the sand to test the efficacy.

"You have ten minutes. Move or you'll drown," Sakura called as she watched him take off down the wet sand. He easily dodged the spiny patches of pink and red coral.

Once Naruto was out of earshot, Sasuke sidled up beside her.

"You'd seriously let him drown?" he asked.

Sakura snorted. "No. But he doesn't have to know that."

Sasuke considered this for a minute before he shrugged.

Neji followed after Naruto, moving the water as he progressed. Tenten tagged along, her daggers held in her hands, eyes darting around as she searched for any creatures that lurked in the little crevices of stone that littered the sea floor.

Kakashi had brought a little hourglass with him. As the grains of sand began to run out, everyone began to shift uneasily on the beach.

Lips twisting to one side, Sasuke glanced at Sakura. "You've got a backup plan, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah," she replied, heaving a sigh. "But you won't like it."

With a wave of her hand, she cast water walk over the remaining members of their party. They watched as Sakura took a couple tentative steps onto the surface of the sea. And then she turned around to gesture for them to follow.

Kisame was the first to follow her. He gave the water an appraising look as it held his weight easily. Kakashi and Asuma followed just after. Sasuke hesitated, lingering on the shore.

"It lasts an hour. I won't let you fall," Sakura insisted, holding her hand out to him.

"We don't have time for this. Sorry, man," Kisame interrupted. He grabbed Sasuke and hefted him over his shoulder. Ignoring Sasuke's threats, Kisame began a cheerful stroll back out onto the open sea.

It didn't take long for them to find the strange divide in the water's surface. They stopped at the edge, peering down to find Naruto struggling to pull a sword from a crack in a stone. Just in front of it stood a weathered statue of a woman with her hands held out in prayer. Sweat beaded on Neji's face as he struggled to hold the spell for just a little longer.

Sakura crouched down. "Need some help?" she offered.

Neji's head whipped up and around, searching for the voice. Kakashi waggled his fingers in a little wave.

Neji let out a sign of relief. "Please."

Sakura cast the very same spell Neji had cast several minutes ago. As she grabbed hold of the water, she nodded at Neji. He lowered his arms, face relaxing.

"Naruto?" Kakashi called.

"Yeah?" he yelled back as he wiggled the sword in an effort to free it from its prison.

"Have you tried doing something else?" the thief queried, knowing what the answer would be.

"No. But I think I almost got it!" Naruto assured him.

Kakashi and Sasuke exchanged a look.

Asuma squinted at the statue. "Say, Tenten, is there any sort of writing on that thing?" he questioned.

Tenten stepped around Naruto. She ran her fingers along the arm of the statue as she circled around it. Near the feet, she found some raised bumps. She made a face as she brushed the algae aside with the tips of her fingers.

"Yuck! Uh... it just says the Hero's Legendary Blade," Tenten reported. "Oh. Wait. There's more... Only... only the truly penitent shall wield the might of the goddess."

"Penitent?" Neji repeated.

Tapping his chin, Asuma turned the word over in his head. And then he craned his neck to observe the sword and the statue again. His eyes lit up. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he hollered, "Naruto! Kneel!"

"What?" Naruto yelled back, sweat rolling down his neck and forehead.

"Just do it!" Asuma snapped.

"This is weird!" Naruto protested even as he got on his knees. He wiggled around a little until his knees found two depressions in the stone. As he pressed his weight forward, the stone sank down with a groan. Eyes popping open, Naruto grabbed the sword again and pulled. It still refused to give.

"Hm... what's missing?" wondered Asuma. Sakura puffed her cheeks out as she thought, too. She glanced down at the falcon emblem twisted around her forearm. And then it occurred to her.

"You're in front of a goddess. Where's your offering?" she chimed in.

As Sakura spoke, Tenten began digging in her pockets. She managed to find a gold coin. After squinting some more at the statue, she found a little round shape between the carved hands. When she dropped the coin into the spot, the sword dropped out of the crack with a metallic clang.

Naruto stared at the sword. The one he had been wrestling with for over ten minutes. Just lying there. He grasped the hilt, expressionless.

"Are you serious?" he whispered.

"Come on, kid. We gotta get moving!" Asuma urged.

"It was that easy?" Naruto continued to mumble as Sakura cast water walking over him and the rest of their companions. She released her control over the water. But as the waves came crashing down over him, he floated easily to the top. The sword still clutched in his hands.

Tenten got to her feet, arms held out for balance. She laughed as she bumped into Neji and caught sight of his equally bewildered expression.

"Let's go. We probably attracted some attention with that stunt!" Sakura called over her shoulder.

"I can't believe it. All that struggling. It was... a coin? And... kneeling?" Naruto muttered.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled.

As their party ran toward the shore, they heard a deep growl rumble up from somewhere under the waves.

"Ah, shit," sighed Kakashi.

"What is he doing?" Sasuke hissed as he glanced over his shoulder. Naruto sat in the same spot, still unable to process how easy it was to retrieve the weapon he had struggled to find for over a month. And as he sat there, a deep purple tentacle broke the surface of the water.

"Can we just let him drown?" Sasuke asked.

"Sadly, no," groaned Sakura as she turned and began running back in Naruto's direction.

* * *

They arrived home well past sundown, covered in ink, guts, and they didn't know what else.

"Well. Calamari for dinner," Asuma announced as he headed straight into the kitchen with his pack bulging with still-wriggling tentacles.

"Wonderful," Neji grumbled, rubbing at the round imprints left in his arm.

"I'm over seafood. Forever," Tenten growled, trudging in after him.

They ran out of hot water running baths for everyone. And by the time everyone had washed up and eaten, it was late.

Naruto sprawled out on the floor of the kitchen, the sword still clutched in one hand.

"After all this time. It was that easy," he sighed again.

"What matters is that we got it, kiddo. Think positive," Asuma urged as he stepped around him to finish washing all the dishes.

"I feel so dumb," Naruto confessed. That made Asuma pause. He rested the pot on the edge of the sink, thinking.

"You kind of are. No need to feel bad about it though. Everyone's good at different things. Apparently planning isn't your strength," answered Asuma.

Naruto frowned. And then he didn't as he took in those words. After a while, he responded, "Huh... I guess so."

Upstairs, Sasuke lay fast asleep in his bed, exhausted by hours of swinging his sword and shooting arrows into a rabid sea monster. On her way up, Sakura decided to stop by Kisame's room. He had taken a fair beating during the battle.

She knocked. There was no response.

"I'm coming in," she warned.

She opened the door, readying a retort to one of his usual teasing insults. Instead, she froze as she spotted Kisame holding a rag soaked with blood. He lifted his head in time to catch the shock spreading across her face. He looked down at the rag.

"Ah. Relax, Doc. I was cleaning my sword," he told her. He pointed with his free hand to his weapon propped up in the corner. The newly-polished blade gleamed in the light of the little fireplace. Sakura let out a sigh of relief.

"Shit, Kisame. That scared me," she admonished. The door swung shut as she crossed the room.

"Aw, you care."

There was the teasing.

Still, if he felt well enough to joke around, Sakura knew she had little to worry about. She grabbed his hands. Other than a popped blister and some little scratches, he really seemed fine. But Kisame's grin faded as he looked her over.

"You're looking kind of ragged around the edges, Doc. You alright?" he queried.

Sakura rubbed her hands over her face. "Believe it or not, shoving Naruto's intestines back into his gut _isn't_ my favorite thing in the world. So, no, probably not that okay," she confessed. Kisame cringed.

On top of that, the kraken had managed to twist Sasuke in the middle, severing his spine. That hadn't been an easy fix either.

Most people would chalk it up to all the spell slots Sakura had expended to keep her friends going in battle. But as Kisame scrutinized her expression, his eyebrows rose.

"Healing is tough, huh," he commented.

And just from the way he said it, Sakura could tell that he understood. At least to some degree. Her shoulders sagged.

"Yeah," was all she managed to say.

Kisame reached out. And with an awkward hand, he patted her shoulder a few times. Sakura laughed at how lost he looked. That seemed to ease some of Kisame's awkwardness because he laughed too.

"You're too stressed, Doc. The next town we hit, you should let loose a little. Get drunk. Start a fight. Or... you know... other stuff," he suggested. Sakura punched him in the arm for the last suggestion.

"You're nasty," she scolded.

Kisame held both hands up. "Just trying to help. Didn't mean anything by it," he insisted.

Sakura punched him again. Just for good measure. While she knew it couldn't possibly hurt the bulky fighter, he still put on a big show about how he'd bruise in the morning. They both knew that was untrue.

"Anyway, I'm being serious. You're working too hard. All we have to do is stab and hit. Your job is to make sure we're alive to do all that. It's a big responsibility," Kisame pointed out. "You need a chance to relax too."

"Okay, horndog. Thanks for the life advice," Sakura snorted, rolling her eyes. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. Kisame's laughter followed her out.

Sakura headed up all the way to the top floor of the rickety building. She had claimed the lone bedroom up in the attic. Partly because she didn't want the creaks of someone's footsteps hovering above her head. But partly because she wanted the stained glass window that sat up there. The pink and green bits of glass coloring the world outside in fantastic colors. And she liked the strange, watery lights the glass projected onto the weathered floorboards on moonlit nights like this one.

She changed into her nightgown in efficient motions. Folding up her tunic and her leggings. Thumb running along a tear in the side of her tunic. She would have to ask Kakashi to mend it for her in the morning.

Sakura let out a sigh as she sat on the edge of her bed. Which was lumpy and a little smelly compared to the feather bed she had back in the Imperial Citadel. But it was a bed nonetheless. One she was grateful for after their journey through the desert.

In the quiet of the night, she finally had a moment to collect her thoughts.

Now that Naruto had finally retrieved his weapon, they would be leaving the comparative safety of the coast and heading for the mountains. And if memory served her right, the mountains were as frigid as they were treacherous. She would need to find a merchant who sold warmer clothing on the way up there. Some of her herb stocks were running low. An apothecary in a bigger town might carry some of the things she needed, but it wasn't the right season or the right climate to forage for the remaining leaves and flowers. On top of that, she hadn't heard back from her home village in many weeks now. She wondered if things were alright. Had they fallen ill? Were they just on the move?

Sakura slapped her hands to her cheeks. All the thoughts crowded together at once, congealing into a massive headache. It seemed like as soon as she tried to solve one problem, another popped up in its place.

Although she hated to admit it, Kisame was right. She was stressed. So stressed that all the herbal tea in the world wouldn't help untangle this mess.

Several minutes later, Kisame heard a knock on his door again. He almost didn't answer until he heard the knock again. And then Sakura's voice drifted through the wood.

"...Kisame?"

He let out a deep breath. "...Yeah?"

She closed the door behind her. Looking so different from how she had a little while ago when she had barged in teasing him with all her signature sass. She took up less room than she normally did, somehow.

He leaned his elbow on his thigh, staring her down. Eyes lingering on the way her hands fisted at her sides. Like she was gathering up the will to say something big.

Sakura felt her face go hot as she realized what the hell she was about to do. She fumbled for the right words. She let out a huff. And maybe because he saw that she was trying, Kisame didn't rib at her.

She took a few steps toward him. As she approached, he sat up straight, elbows landing on the armrests of his chair.

Only his eyes followed her movements as she reached out to take his right hand. Placed it on her waist.

"...Ohhh." He dragged the sound out. It was a little rumbly, like a dragon was stirring to life somewhere in his chest. His eyes took her in a second time. Dragging more slowly, lingering in places other than her face. But after a moment, he arched an eyebrow at her.

"Why me?" he asked.

Sakura looked anywhere but at him. But as he nudged her a little closer, she had to rest her hand on his shoulder to keep balance. Feeling her face go hot, she found the words.

"It has to be someone I trust... not to make this weird," she replied.

"You trust me?" he questioned. Sounding incredulous.

His tone made Sakura really stop and think. And he gave her the time to do just that. When she finally came to an answer, her eyes met his.

"...Wow... yeah. I guess I do."

A bewildered smile pulled at her mouth. The same smile tugged at the corners of Kisame's lips too. He tilted his head to the side as he looked over her face again.

"Alright, then. Not make it weird? I think I can do that, Doc," he chuckled as he pulled her into his lap.


	5. Chapter 5

**Stage 5**: Mountain Level

* * *

"You alright?"

Naruto offered his hand. Sakura wiped the blood from her nose on the back of her hand. She cracked her neck before she accepted his help and let him pull her to her feet.

"Ow. Trolls hit _hard_!" she griped, rubbing her shoulder. Naruto bent over to retrieve her holy symbol. He rubbed the golden falcon clean on the front of his shirt before he handed it over.

"Well..." Sasuke said, eyeing the remains of the monsters. Especially the charred remains of the same ice troll that had knocked Sakura to the ground. "To be fair, so do you," Sasuke remarked. He spotted a knife sticking out of the snow and dug it out with the toe of his boot. When he held it up questioningly, Tenten raised her hand.

"Throw it!" the halfling urged.

"Please don't," Asuma and Sakura replied in unison.

They found an old abandoned fortress to stay in for the night. The frozen gate groaned open after a little bit of finagling from Kakashi's tools. They took cautious steps into the courtyard, weapons still clenched in their hands. After a quick once over, they relaxed a little. The stone walls did nothing to stop the snow from drifting down on their heads, but they did block the wind that had been buffeting them since morning.

It was decided that Sasuke would head in first with Kakashi to check for any other occupants.

"Wait! Leave us a fire before you go! It's cold!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke paused. Just before ducking into the darkness. He made a face as he turned around to look at them. "You've got a cleric and a wizard sitting there," he retorted.

"But you're... like... literally a fire dude. I mean-" Naruto pointed at the flame hovering in Sasuke's open palm. "You've got fire. Like, there. Just... whoosh." And Naruto mimed tossing it underhand.

Sasuke turned to Sakura who just shook her head. "Go. Before you kill him," she sighed.

* * *

Dinner consisted of some of the dried meat and half-stale bread that still remained after their last stop in a real town. They huddled around a big fire they set in what probably once served as a dining hall. The tapestries high up on the walls were so coated in dust that it was hard to tell.

"As long as you keep the fire going in your room, you shouldn't die overnight. Although I would avoid that if possible," Asuma warned them as they passed a flask of mulled wine around. They each took a swig before they handed it to the person beside them.

"Yeah, that'll probably piss Sakura off if one of us died and she had do burn a spell slot reviving our frozen asses," Tenten snorted. Everyone snickered at that.

"Who says I'd burn a spell slot?" Sakura answered before she took a sip of the sweet wine. Naruto made an "ooh" noise. As Sakura turned to her right, Kisame accepted the flask. He pretended to accidentally grab her hand instead of the drink.

"Well, guess we've all gotta keep warm," he commented. And while no one was looking, he tossed a wink her way. Sakura rolled her eyes.

Not long after, everyone bid each other good night. Sasuke had reported that the residential areas of the fortress were clustered into different sections. Neji and Tenten headed off to one side, hands held under their heavy cloaks. Naruto threw one arm around Sasuke's shoulder and the other around Kisame's as he dragged them to another wing.

As the sounds of chatter died down, Sakura headed in the direction of the central wing. From her experience, the more exposed a room was, the colder it would be. While a room on the top floor would have the best view, she wasn't willing to sacrifice her toes for a pretty scene. She found a decent place not too far from the cobweb-filled pantry. Unwilling to spend an hour chasing out any pests, she swept a quick flame around the corners of the bedroom to scare off any critters and burn off all the cobwebs before she tossed the remaining heat into the fireplace. The magical fire quickly pushed the cold out.

She spent some time banging years of dust and cobwebs off the huge bed. After she arranged her cloak and bedroll on top of it, it made a halfway decent place to sleep for the night.

Sakura shed her boots before she crawled onto the bed. She pulled her journal out of her pack and began jotting down the usual list of injuries of the day and what she had used to treat them.

It was a while before there was a knock. The draft from the hallway blew in when Kisame opened the door. A shiver rippled through Sakura as she glanced up from her journal. Kisame locked the door behind him. He appraised the place, nodding a little.

"This side is nicer," he remarked. He rubbed his hands together as he took another step inside.

"You know, you're probably the least subtle person I've ever met," Sakura accused. She closed her journal before placing it back in her pack. But when she looked up again, Kisame didn't look at all apologetic. In fact, he smirked at her. as he yanked at the clasps of his cloak.

"Whatever. You wanted subtle, you should've gone for the rogue," he replied. The very thought made her giggle.

Although Sakura liked to poke fun at Kisame for a lot of things, one thing she couldn't deny was that he was very good at warming her up. This occurred to her as she lay curled up against his side, both his cloak and his arm draped over her. They weren't in the habit of cuddling, but the added body heat was nice.

Sakura knew he wasn't asleep. His eyes were open as he stared up at the faded old canopy.

"Hey," she said. Her finger tapping one of his ribs.

"Yeah?"

"Do you own my soul or something now?" she asked.

He turned his head to her, frowning as he processed her question. "What?"

She didn't have to elaborate because his expression then shifted. His eyes widened for a moment before he began to laugh. "No. My dick doesn't seal contracts," he snorted.

Sakura slapped his chest. "Hey! I'm just asking," she defended herself. Kisame's laughter quieted. He seemed to think about something before he spoke again.

"I mean, normally, no. I guess I could make an exception for you." Flashing his teeth in a grin.

Sakura slapped him again. This time, it was hard enough that he gave a quiet "ow" in response.

"I thought you promised not to make it weird," she reminded him.

"Aw, Come on. I'm a paragon of normal...ness. Normal shit. Whatever," he petered off, stumbling on the wording. And when she sniggered at him, he made a big show of being offended.

"Guess that's my cue to leave. I know when I'm not welcome," Kisame sulked. But when he started moving, Sakura grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Are you kidding? It's freezing. You're my hot water bottle for the night."

"Oh... huh," was all Kisame said as he froze. A moment passed. And then he laid back down. "Yeah. Makes sense," he decided, arm curling around her again.

They were off again in the morning. And while everyone grumbled together about how cold it was, they were eager to keep moving. Sakura walked next to Tenten, who was more than happy to chat with her.

"You sleep okay?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah. I elbowed Neji in the eye, though," Tenten answered. And then she added, "Sorry," as she looked over her shoulder. The corners of Neji's mouth pulled up.

"It's quite alright. It was just an accident," he assured her.

They had expected to run into fewer monsters as they left the coast, beginning a long trek through the mountain range that bisected the continent. They were both wrong and disappointed by that wrongness.

"You can't walk five steps without a bear chomping at your ass," Kisame grumbled, swatting away mosquitoes with angry swipes. Luckily, those mosquitoes disappeared at the higher elevations. But so did any sensation in their fingers and toes. Some days were warmer and some were colder as the elevation dipped and rose with the jagged sides of the mountains.

Fortunately, there were usually villages wherever they went. Most of them were happy to share whatever they had with the outsiders who brought news of the outside world with them.

"You haven't seen anything like that up here?" Naruto asked after describing the ice troll they'd encountered just a couple days ago.

"Fortunately, no. We've just got a nasty wyvern sleeping in the ravine out west," the mayor mused, stroking his wispy beard. As Naruto turned to Kakashi with a pleading expression, the thief pushed his face away.

"No," Kakashi said in a flat voice.

"But Kakashi!"

"No," Kakashi said again.

Naruto's head whipped around in search of Sakura, who also said, "No" in the same tone.

They kept their stays in these little settlements short. Just long enough to buy some food and to dry their clothes before they set off the following day.

After several days more of travel, the temperatures began to rise as they made their way down a dip in the mountain range. The snow began to fade. And they could see grass covering the ground instead of giant mounds of snow that Tenten had to angrily kick through to move forward. The weather was still cold, however. Something that Naruto commented on one night as they found shelter in a network of caves carved into the side of a stone cliff.

"Can't feel my ass. I think it fell off," he grumbled.

"Don't worry. There wasn't much to begin with," Sakura scoffed. And then she thanked Asuma with a smile as he handed her a mug of tea.

It took a long moment. And then Naruto made a face of revulsion as he whipped his head around.

"Hey! I'm not a piece of meat! Eyes up here, lady!" Naruto scolded, pointing at his face. Sakura glanced at him before she took a loud slurp of her tea.

"Not much to look at up there either," she muttered.

"Ouch," Kisame said, smirking.

"Fine. Then who's the most handsome here if it's not me?" Naruto demanded.

Sakura cast a glance around their group. She considered her tea for a moment.

"Me," she replied before she sipped her drink again.

The following day, the party found themselves in a big mining town. Big enough that there was a messenger service. Sakura broke away from her companions at the first chance to write a letter back home, updating them on her whereabouts and where she would hopefully be in the next few weeks.

At dinner that night, they listened to the murmur of conversation in the humble but clean bar. An older woman sitting at the bar mentioned how odd it was that the river had run dry. From somewhere across the room, a toothless old man lamented about how bandits were roaming the roads. And then a young man burst into the room, dripping blood from a cut on his forehead as he gibbered about a mad boar in the woods.

"... You think they give discounts for staying for a while?" Asuma asked Neji. Who sighed and got to his feet to go ask the innkeeper just that.

All things considered, this wasn't a bad place to stop for a while. The town comprised of a mixture of humans and dwarves, with a few half-orcs here and there. They had all come to mine for the precious ores buried deep in the sides of the mountain. And while the innkeeper didn't offer them a discount, he did offer them a fair price for all their rooms.

Hunting down the rabid boar only took a couple days with Sasuke's tracking skills. Tracking down its furious mate, however, took nearly a week as it tore up crops and attacked travelers.

Next, they investigated why an entire river would run dry. They braced themselves for a variety of threats. Tenten suggested monster beavers. Asuma conjectured that it was the work of evil druids living in the woods. In the end, however, it was just another settlement in the north that had damed up the river for their own mining operation.

"So, like, this other town below you isn't getting water," Naruto explained.

"Uh-huh," the leader of the mining operation grunted.

"And if they don't have water they can't cook or drink. Or do laundry."

"Uh-huh."

"So, like... can you... not have a dam?" Naruto tried asking.

"Nuh-uh."

Naruto glanced back at the rest of his party. Sasuke shrugged. Kisame mimed punching over and over again before Kakashi and Sakura grabbed his arms and pulled them down to his sides. Naruto turned back to the miner.

"Please?"

"Nuh-uh."

Naruto looked back at them again.

Tenten heaved a sigh. She reached into her belt to pull out a very large knife with jagged teeth. "Fuck this. Let's just fight 'em," she declared.

"Uh, ok. Cool," Naruto agreed as he grabbed his weapon too.

Sakura glared at Naruto as she tended to his wounds that night. Naruto pointed at Tenten who sat with her feet up by the fire.

"It wasn't my idea this time!" he reminded her.

"If Tenten told you to jump off a bridge, would you?" Sakura scolded him.

Naruto thought for a long time. "Well, maybe she saw some dope loot or a secret area. Tenten's pretty sharp," he replied.

Tenten's smug expression melted. Hand on her chest, she sighed, "Aw, Naruto."

"It's spreading," whispered Sasuke with dawning horror.

"What is?" Kisame asked.

"The stupidity," Sasuke replied.

Lastly, they tackled the group of bandits terrorizing the roads. They were difficult to pin down as they moved all over the mountainside, shaking down locals and pillaging carts loaded with goods and supplies.

"We should try to talk first. If they're affiliated with a guild, I might be able to negotiate," Kakashi suggested.

"Or have Kisame rip their arms off," Naruto offered instead.

Rubbing his nose, Kisame pretended to be bashful. "Aw, Naruto, that was one time." And then he laughed when Tenten punched him in the arm. Less so when Sakura punched him in the same spot. With much more force as she whispered, "Don't encourage him."

It took several days of Kakashi asking questions and Sasuke checking tracks in the woods before they managed to find the bandits' base of operations.

Following Kakashi's lead, they strolled straight into camp. Like half a dozen bowmen didn't immediately have their arrows pointed at them.

"If this goes badly, Kakashi, my ghost will murder your ghost," hissed Sakura as they approached the man sitting on what appeared to be a chair made from bones. Naruto made a noise of disgust when he noticed it, elbowing Sasuke until he looked too. Naruto nodded when Sasuke also made a face, sticking his tongue out. He tugged on the back of Sakura's cloak. She followed both their fingers to stare at the horrifying piece of furniture.

"...yuck," she whispered.

"Seriously," Sasuke grumbled.

"Nasty," Naruto agreed.

It took Sakura a second to realize that Kakashi had started talking. She grabbed Sasuke and Naruto each by the elbow, turning them toward the stern faces.

"You have to understand. Business is business. I can't just stop making money," the man on the bone throne was saying. As Sakura peered out past Naruto's arm, his expression changed.

"Although..." the bandit leered, licking his lips as he eyed Sakura, "I might be more willing to move my operations... for a price."

"Gross!" Naruto blurted out.

The bandit's glance trailed over to Naruto. And then to Tenten standing on his other side.

"Or that one. Either is fine," the bandit added.

"Oh, gross!" exclaimed Tenten.

"Alright, let's kill this guy already," Sasuke muttered as his hand inched toward an arrow in his quiver. Naruto was already reaching for his axe.

"Oh, come on. It's a fair trade. A little something for a little something," the bandit insisted, getting out of his seat. "A little roll in the hay for my trouble."

Before a blood vessel could pop in Naruto's head, Kisame growled, "Listen. That's not gonna work for us." Sakura's eyes widened.

"Ha! Why? You bangin' this one already?" the bandit barked. His band burst into guffaws behind him. "Or maybe you're all taking turns with her?" The howls of laughter went up an octave. Naruto's face turned purple. Before he could start swinging, Sasuke yanked him back by the shoulder. Out of the path of a bolt that shot from Sakura's crossbow. It jammed into the throne, knocking one of the skulls loose.

The laughter cut out as wide eyes swiveled toward Sakura. Her cheeks were bright red as she loaded a new bolt into her crossbow. Yanking the string back into place with a tug that made the muscles in her arms flex. When she lifted her weapon again, her eyes shimmered a little.

"Let's get one thing straight, you rat-faced little bastard," snarled Sakura. She kept her crossbow aimed at the head bandit. Slowly, she swung her other arm around to point at Kisame. "I'm the one that's banging him. Not the other way around."

Kisame, who had been advancing with his sword held in both hands, froze. As he took in her words, he looked offended for all of three seconds before he shrugged and then conceded with a nod. "Okay. Fair."

There was a stunned silence. Some of the bandits turned to mutter among themselves.

"... Pay up, Asuma," whispered Kakashi, turning around to look at the bard. Asuma's guilty gaze flickered to Sakura before returning to Kakashi.

"How about after we deal with this situation, Kakashi?" Asuma replied through clenched teeth.

"Fine by me. I'll take gold or diamonds," came Kakashi's cheerful reply.

The fight ended quickly. Mostly because Sasuke lost his patience and summoned a pack of wolves to assault the many bandits. And Neji helped by setting fire to the ones who had been eyeing Tenten. And Sakura really cleaned things up when she summoned a cloud of biting locusts to blanket the remaining bandits. All the while Naruto ran around smashing the blade of his axe into everyone he could reach while screaming at the top of his lungs about respecting women. Which, while not very educational, was still touching.

When the grateful townspeople offered them a chest of gold, Naruto turned it down without a second thought.

"No, that was personal. Good riddance," Naruto growled, wiping the blood off his cheek with the back of his hand. He stole glances at Sakura, who hadn't really said anything on their way back into town. With her back to him, it was difficult to tell how she was feeling. Sasuke also cast a few wary glances her way. When he met Naruto's eyes, all he did was shrug. He did, however, glare, when he noticed Kakashi and Asuma exchange a few gold coins.

On their way to the inn, Kisame jogged a few extra steps to catch up to Sakura. Naruto cringed, raising his hands to stop him. Kisame ignored him as he casually leaned in, knocking his arm against Sakura's.

"You blew it," he mocked her.

"I know. Shut up," she grumbled.

Kisame looked down as he felt a light punch against his hip. It was Tenten, who shoved him out of the way.

"Go be annoying over there," Tenten ordered before she grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her to the bar to get something to eat. Tenten's glare made it clear that none of the others were welcome to join them at their table. Not even Neji.

After a hot meal and about half her drink, Sakura slouched. Finally relaxing a little.

"Well," she sighed. Tenten looked at her, mirroring her grimace.

"Well," Tenten agreed.

Tenten reached out and patted Sakura's arm. "Better than someone walking in on ya, I guess," she offered. Sakura made a noise of disgust at the very thought. She took another swig of her drink. Across the room, Kisame grinned at her, intolerably smug as he had been the entire evening.

"Lemme just ask one thing," Tenten said.

"Yeah?"

"He's good to you, yeah?" Tenten pressed. A knife suddenly in her hand as she glanced Kisame's way too. She always had a blade hidden somewhere on her, though, so it didn't surprise anyone. Including the bartender, who just sent over a serving girl with more drinks.

Sakura shrugged one shoulder. "There's nothing to _not_ be good about. He's... fine."

Tenten considered her blade once. And then she nodded. "Good," she decided as she put her knife away.

After a while, Tenten began to yawn. With some urging from Sakura, she headed up to her room to settle in for the night. Which Tenten only agreed to after shooting a warning glare at the people around her.

It didn't take long for a big blue hand to slap down on the table. The force of it made Sakura's drink slosh a little.

"I'm _fine_?" Kisame repeated. He set his own drink down on the table and slid into the seat across from hers.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Here we go."

He leaned his forearm on the table to stare at her. "I'm sure you meant fine like fine wine. Or fine dining," he went on.

Sakura gestured toward him with her tankard. "Maybe I meant 'fine' like 'I'm going to crush you into a fine powder if you keep bothering me'," she suggested instead.

"I'd like to see you try, Doc," he scoffed.

"You'd love it if I did," she retorted. He snorted into his ale. Wiping his face on the back of his hand, he stared up at her.

"... You think so?" he asked, his voice lowering.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura kicked the leg of his stool.

Across the room, two sets of eyes watched their exchange.

"Are they fighting? Should we say something?" whispered Naruto, ducking behind his tankard. Like that would make him less visible.

Sasuke took a bite of his bread, shaking his head. "No, you idiot. They're _flirting_," he stated with his mouth full of food.

Face scrunching up, Naruto swiveled his head in Sakura's direction again.

"That looks kind of aggressive to be flirting," Naruto pointed out. Tilting his head to one side.

Sasuke ripped off another bite of bread. "Yeah. Well, it's Sakura."

"...Yeah, makes sense," Naruto agreed.

Not too long after, Sakura got out of her seat. She stretched her arms over her head once. Then, hand on her hip, she looked at Kisame.

"Be nice. If I wake up in the middle of the night because you start another bar fight, I'll be pissed," Sakura warned.

Kisame flashed his teeth. "I'm always nice," he assured her.

"Alright. Good night," she laughed before she crossed the room, heading up the creaky wooden stairs.

"Can I talk to you?"

Kisame lowered his tankard to find Sasuke standing next to the table.

"Oh boy. Here we go," grumbled Kisame. Sasuke's scowl deepened.

"What?"

Sighing, Kisame propped his cheek up on his hand. "Yeah. I get it. You're here to threaten me about not messing with the Doc, right? Alright, let's hear it."

Sasuke grimaced. "What? No."

Kisame lifted his head. "Really?"

Sasuke nodded, the disgust showing more and more on his face. "Why the hell would I threaten you about Sakura?" he demanded.

Kisame blinked. He scratched his cheek. "Uh. You know. Defending her honor. Warning me not to screw it up. Y'know. Shit like that," he listed.

Sasuke looked flabbergasted at the very idea. He took a deep breath, rubbing his temples. "Okay, well, first of all, why does honor have to do with any of that? And second of all, that's stupid because if you screwed up, Sakura would set you on fire. Literally. She'll end your life," Sasuke retorted.

Kisame chuckled at the mental image that conjured. As he took another gulp of his alcohol, a thought occurred to him. He turned to Sasuke to scrutinize him.

"Then what'd you come over here for?" he inquired.

Sasuke took a seat across from him. "I was gonna ask you about that disarming strike you did to that bandit before. I want you to teach me."

* * *

Despite their earlier exchange, Sakura was unsurprised when she heard a knock on her door.

"What?" she replied.

"Rude lady. What if I were someone fancy with a ruffled collar?" Kisame scolded as he pushed the door open. He shoved it shut, scowling when it jammed just a little against the warped frame.

"Your rooms are always much better than mine. Mine's cold," he griped, rubbing his hands up and down his arms. He sat on the end of her bed, bouncing a little to test the mattress. And then he laid down, letting out a sigh of relief at the softness.

"Perks of sewing people back together. Maybe you should try it, Mr. Rip-Limbs-Off-For-Fun," she retorted.

Kisame didn't say anything. So she didn't either. She hunched over her journal, scribbling into it about what she had done during the day's journeys. Which included summoning a plague of insects and reattaching Naruto's pinky.

After a while of ignoring him, she glanced over her shoulder at Kisame. He lay on the bed, feet hanging off the end. Arms crossed behind his head.

"I'm not in the mood tonight," she told him.

"I figured. Think I'll sleep here... to avoid the draft," he replied.

That made her stop. While that was unusual, she didn't exactly hate the company either. She went on writing.

"Whatever," was all she declared. And Kisame seemed to get it because he didn't move.

Eventually, as the candle began to flicker, Sakura began to nod off sitting at the desk.

"Come to bed," Kisame said.

Sakura blinked. She had thought that he had fallen asleep a long time ago. She marked the page with a scrap of paper. With a sigh, she shut the book. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that his eyes were closed.

"Move over, you big lump," she ordered.

He grumbled something but scooted to the side.

"Ugh. You smell like ale," Sakura scolded as she sat on the edge of the bed. She pulled her boots off, one by one. She lined them up before she swung her legs onto the bed. She stretched her arms over her head, feeling her tired limbs relax a little.

The bed frame creaked.

"Hey."

She tried to ignore him.

"Hey." He nudged her this time.

"I will sacred flame your ass," she warned.

"Always talking about my ass. You don't have to be coy, you know," chuckled Kisame.

"Take a shower before you try to flirt with me," she scoffed in return, rolling onto her side, her back to him.

"Why? So you can watch?" His laugh shook the mattress.

"You're an idiot," Sakura groaned.

"Don't lie. You'll miss this charm when I'm gone," Kisame teased.

And they both went quiet as those words sunk in.

She didn't push his arm away when he draped it over her waist.


	6. Chapter 6

**Final Boss Battle**

* * *

After weeks of slogging through snow and wind, they finally arrived at the ruins of an ancient temple. The pillars were battered and covered in vines, but were somehow still standing. The smell of mildew filled the air as they ventured into the darkness. Sasuke ignited his palm, the glow illuminating their faces as they walked.

Sakura caught Kisame glancing at her. She didn't say anything. He had caught her staring at him at least a few times, too.

"Ugh. Finally. I can't wait to kick this demon's ass," Naruto sighed with relief as they climbed up the stairs. Sakura grabbed the back of his shirt to stop him from stepping in a huge hole in the stone.

"Thanks. But yeah, like I was saying, things can finally get back to normal," he went on. And Sakura and Kisame's eyes met. Just for a second in the dark. His eyes glowing a little- just enough to be a little unsettling. They looked away again.

"Sakura, we can finally get you back to the palace," Naruto then said, nudging Sakura with his elbow. She offered him a smile in response.

The portal in the heart of the temple ruins needed to be activated by magic. Sakura took a moment casting protective wards over their party, just in case. And then Neji poured energy into the symbols carved into the floor and ceiling. Each rune began to glow gold. Slowly, a hum filled the chamber, growing louder and louder with each symbol that lit up.

Sakura started when she felt something touch her arm. It was Kisame's hand. The black snake contract tight around his wrist.

"You alright, Doc?" he murmured. Voice almost drowned out by the growing drone of the magical resonance rumbling through the floor.

"Yeah. Of course," she whispered in return. Fingers brushing past his as she felt the magic lift them off the ground. Away. Up. Sounds and smells fading away as they fell through the space between planes.

As they tumbled out of the rift torn into the sky, Sakura glimpsed strange sights. Worlds swallowed by flame. A plane where the stars hung in the air, suspended like strange lanterns in the darkness. And then her left side erupted in pain as she collided with the ground. All around her came her companions' grunts as they landed just as gracelessly.

"Ah, shit. My wrist! Sakura!"

Pushing herself up on her elbow, Sakura glared in no particular direction. "Suck it up. I can't waste all my spell slots at once," she groaned.

There was a pause. And then a snap.

"Nevermind, Sasuke fixed it," Naruto called back.

They slowly got to their feet, fixing their hair. Dusting the dirt from their clothes as they regrouped.

They slogged through swamps, batting away little monsters. Too low level to do any real damage. Which, Kakashi commented, was odd.

"I was expecting a little more trouble," he remarked, rubbing his chin. He barely glanced over when Sakura used sacred flame to zap a low-level monster. It sizzled away without much fuss.

"Yeah. And aren't there like, a bajillion different levels in the Abyss? How do we know when we get to the right one?" griped Tenten, batting away an overgrown larva with one of her swords as they continued through the muck.

They looked to Naruto for a response. Naruto, who was busy wrestling with a vine that had tangled around his ankle, had no idea they had even spoken to him. Sasuke reached over to incinerate it in a quick flash of fire.

Sakura barely noticed this exchange too. Because her eyes found Kisame's tall figure in the gloom. The blade of his sword wet with blood as he stared ahead. His footfalls certain, even on the mushy terrain.

"We'll figure it out," she said as she headed into the mist. Grabbing Sasuke's cloak as she moved, pulling him along with her. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, jerking his chin to motion for the rest of the party to follow as they plowed on ahead.

They fell through five different levels of the abyss. Sometimes it was just one step in the fog and suddenly they were engulfed in searing heat. Another time, they plummeted into a chasm, impossibly deep, that twisted and battered them from all sides with rough stone before spitting them out in a completely new location.

Sakura and Neji took a long time setting up protective wards around their camps at night. At least, it felt like night. Time flowed strangely in this plane. It was difficult to tell what was what anymore. They simply moved on when they guessed that an appropriate amount of time had passed. Or when their legs and feet stopped aching as much.

The energy on this plane unnerved Sakura. It made the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand up all the time. And no amount of warding or buffing could make it go away.

"You're just, like, super-good, Sakura. Maybe all this evil juju is messing with you," Naruto guessed one night as they gathered around the fire Sasuke had conjured.

"You know things are strange when _Naruto_ makes sense," remarked Sasuke.

Naruto gave himself a proud pat on the chest. Before he realized what Sasuke had actually said. He glared at the ranger, who paid him no mind.

"The abyss is filled with evil energy. That could be true," Asuma agreed, looking all around. Especially at the twisted shapes jutting out of the cliff face just behind them. They looked like faces frozen mid-scream. Naruto shuddered each time he made the mistake of looking at one.

Sakura covered her right hand with her left, touching the holy symbol wrapped around her wrist. It didn't hum as strongly as it usually did. Maybe it really was the interference from the energy of the plane. Her eyes drifted downwards. There was a stone lodged in the mud. She nudged it aside with the point of her boot. Hundreds of black spiders spilled out from the space underneath. She jolted. Sasuke did too. And before anyone could scream, he aimed a handful of fire at the creatures and burnt them to a crisp.

"Thanks," she sighed.

"You... really don't like spiders, huh," Tenten remarked.

Sakura made a face, which was answer enough.

On what felt like the fifth day, everything suddenly changed. Up became down. The ground became the sky. Sakura found herself hanging upside down, feet still planted firmly on the ground, if it could be called that anymore. Naruto jumped. He detached from the boggy soil, tumbling downwards.

"I hate this place," declared Neji, his voice almost as sour as his face as he got to his feet. His clothes were soaked with dirty bog water.

That night, they managed to find refuge in the ruins of what looked like an abandoned palace of some sort. The runes on the crumbling walls pulsated faintly as Kisame walked past. Reacting to his presence. Sakura noticed it before he did. She scooped up a handful of mud and smeared it over the letters before anyone else could see.

"Ow!" she yelped as the mud ate through her gloves, biting into her skin.

When she tried to channel holy magic to heal the burns, nothing happened.

"What the..." Sakura muttered, forehead wrinkling as she tried again.

Kisame grabbed her by the arm, pulling her around the corner. His hand glowed an eerie shade of light blue as he pressed it to her palm. The pain vanished, as did the angry red marks.

He found her eyes. Before he could warn her not to say anything, Sakura simply smiled. She pressed her pointer finger to her lips. Despite his wary look, Kisame couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"This how you get all the babes to fall for you? Pull them into the dark and show off your spooky powers?" she teased. That made Kisame chuckle.

"Nah. That's only for you," he said, thoughtlessly. Only realizing a second too late what had just come out of his mouth.

She lowered her hand, slowly. Eyes glued to his. Forehead wrinkling as she tried to decide whether she had heard him wrong.

They both jolted when they heard a loud crack.

"Dude! That's a load-bearing pillar! Don't break that!" they heard Tenten scold.

"Bullshit. You're making that up," Naruto laughed. There was another loud crack. And then a terrific smash as part of the ceiling crashed to the floor.

"Okay! Sorry! I'll stop!" Naruto yelped.

Sakura licked her lips, which were suddenly really dry. And then she took a step in the direction of all the noise.

"Wait, Doc-" Kisame hissed. He grabbed her shoulder.

Sakura's eyes found him again. Big and luminous in the darkness of the ruins.

His face was panicked. Pupils dilated. Teeth clenched together.

Sakura took a deep breath in and then out. She offered him a smile as she put her hand over his.

"Not here. Later," she promised. And she waited for his hand to relax before she slipped out of their hiding place to join the rest of the party.

And while Sakura was a lot of things, a liar wasn't one of them. Once everyone had settled in for the night, she found him hidden away in a room that once held an enormous bath. The walls were made of an intricate mosaic pattern, which was impossible to understand now. Vines and dead leaves were the only things left to cover the cracked, dirty tiles. Some sinister-looking mushrooms glowed dark purple in the corners of the room. As she took a step toward them, she heard Kisame's voice.

"Those are poisonous as hell. Don't," he warned her.

She glanced over her shoulder as magic hummed past her ears. She could see the shimmer of a silencing spell form over the entrance.

"Your magic is stronger here," she noted.

"Home sweet home," Kisame replied. He sat in the empty pool, arms resting on the sides, one leg crossed over the other.

Sakura only noticed then that his shadow inside the tub looked different. Long wings extended from under his arms. And maybe what looked like a tail flickered over the mosaic. When she blinked, they didn't disappear.

"Careful, Doc, you'll make me blush," Kisame warned.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura sat on the edge of the pool, wrinkling her nose when she touched a bit of moss. She rubbed it away with a noise of disgust. She scooted a little closer to Kisame to avoid the patch of wet plants and dirt.

"So, what was that earlier, big guy?" she demanded.

Kisame dropped the cocky smile. The shadow of his invisible wings folded inward as he turned his head away. Rolling her eyes, Sakura stretched her leg out to nudge his thigh with the toe of her boot. He ignored her.

Sakura scoffed. "Seriously?"

His lips pressed together in a thin line.

She nudged him again. "Hey, do I have to kick your ass into talking?"

Slowly, the corner of his mouth lifted.

"Always going on about the ass, Doc. You like it that much, huh?" he retorted, finally turning back towards her.

Sakura puckered her mouth a little as she thought. Tilting her head to one side, she responded, "...I mean... I don't hate it."

He grinned at her, sharp teeth glinting in the torchlight. "Well, enjoy it while you can," he joked. And with that, his smile disappeared again.

Sakura realized then what he was really talking about.

"...Oh."

She peered into the tub and found it less dirty than she expected. She slid into the bath too, her knees pulled up to her chest. And then she fussed with her cloak, pulling it under her thighs.

"We never talked about that, I guess," she said.

"Yeah. Why didn't we?" wondered Kisame.

Sakura picked at a loose thread on her tunic as she thought. "Well, I guess, because I just assumed it would be done once you got home... whatever this is, I mean." She pointed a vague finger in the space between them. Kisame nodded.

"Yeah, that was the plan. But- uh... I'm having a hard time imagining being away from you," he admitted. And then he winced as the snake tattoo wrapped around his forearm shifted. It constricted a little tighter. Digging into his skin. As if daring him to break the terms of their agreement.

Sakura said nothing, just stared at the living contract until it stopped moving. She reached out to trace her thumb over it. The tongue flickered out just once.

"... You picked a real shitty time to say something like that, you know," she finally uttered. But when she met his eyes, she was smiling. "Better than me not saying anything at all, I guess."

"Aw, man, Doc. I really like you," he laughed a little.

And they sat there. The silencing spell still glittering around them. Rendered pointless. Because there was nothing left to say anyway.

* * *

After what felt like days of travel, they finally spotted a set of dark spires in the distance. The air wavered, a little too heavy on their shoulders as they looked around. Ribbon-like figures weaved around the towers.

"That looks Demon King-y as hell," Naruto whispered as he pointed.

"Super demon-y," agreed Tenten.

Their banter filled the rest of the party's grim silence as they hurried ahead through the gnarled forest of dead trees. The phoenix amulet wrapped around Sakura's wrist felt cold against her skin now. And a shiver ran up her spine as she glanced over and saw the look on Kisame's face. He had raised his hood to cover his face, grumbling about the cold. Although that probably wasn't the real reason.

As they neared the castle, the started to encounter more and more demons. They came in all shapes and sizes. Some with fangs dripping with acid. Others with sharp talons. They squawked, roared, shrieked, and made an array of awful noises as Naruto slew them. Sakura stole a nervous look at Kisame, who had stopped cracking jokes and responding to Naruto's puns a while ago. And Naruto was in no mood to notice this change as he plowed on ahead.

Oddly enough, Sasuke, who generally didn't pay much attention to anyone, was the one to pull Kisame to the side.

"Hey, you don't look so good," the ranger said. Kisame rubbed his jaw.

"Maybe you should have Sakura take a look at you," Sasuke suggested. And then he cleared his throat. "Just... you're part of the team. Take care of yourself," he added.

Kisame's eyes met Sakura's. Sasuke's sincerity hit him like a punch in the gut. She could read it so clearly in his face. And before anyone else could, a giant worm accosted their party. Sakura had never before been so thankful for such a disgusting, slimy creature.

When they finally reached the path that led to the enormous fortress, Sakura felt her stomach tying in knots.

They stormed into the Demon King's castle. Naruto smashed through the door, his eyes a little wild as adrenaline coursed through his veins. The blood of all the guards he had slain flecked his armor.

A scrawny demon sat on the throne. Some sort of burning circle of blue flame hovered above its horns. He didn't even manage to get through his monologue before Sasuke unleashed an arrow that hit him straight in the gut. With a horrible shriek, the demon opened its jaw. Black smoke poured out of its gullet, wrapping around its form. Before it could solidify, Kisame reached out and crushed its skull in one hand. Blood and bone exploded in his palm. The blue flames raced up his arm, over his shoulder, climbing up to the top of his head.

"...Kisame... dude... gross," Naruto was the first to speak.

The floor of the throne room trembled.

"... oh no," sighed Sakura. Before anyone could ask her what she meant, Kisame erupted in blue flames.

"HOLY SHIT!" Tenten shouted. She reached into her belt for her knives. Naruto grabbed the back of her tunic, hauling her away from Kisame.

"What're you going to do? STAB THE FIRE?" Naruto howled as she struggled in his grip.

"We gotta help him!" Tenten insisted.

"... yeah, I'm with Naruto on this," Sakura commented as she took a few steps back. She eyed Kisame one more time before she took a few more steps away. And then she squinted a little. Because Kisame's flaming form turned to look at her. She saw his mouth open. The inside was completely black, which was horrifying. But she thought she saw him mouth the word 'boom'.

Sakura barely had time to cast a shield before the entire palace exploded.

And then they were soaring through the sky, encased in a shimmering gold layer. Chunks of stone bounced harmlessly off the barrier. They watched the castle crumble, smoke and ashes raining down on the shield, which managed to hold. But it still didn't stop it from hurting like hell when they landed some ways away on the ground. The shield shattered from the impact, sending them sprawling.

Kakashi struggled to his feet first. He offered a hand to Neji, pulling him to his feet. A little ways away, Naruto pulled Sasuke up, both of them groaning in pain. Sakura could feel her ears ringing as she sat up. Her head was still a little fuzzy when Tenten and Asuma walked over to check on her. As they tried to help her up, Sakura winced. She had definitely sprained her ankle. There was no point in trying to put weight on it, and the shield had burned her last spell slot. That was also the reason why she couldn't help Kakashi with the scrapes on his hands and arms from where he had skidded to a stop.

Once everyone was accounted for, they turned to watch the castle still collapsing in the distance. The blue flames smoldered at the base of the ruins, sending smoke spilling into the air until it covered the sky like a thick cover of rain clouds.

"Anyone know what just happened?" asked Naruto.

"Nuh-uh," said Tenten. Sasuke just shook his head.

Sakura stared at the smoke. She didn't even realize that someone was gripping her shoulder until she glanced over and saw the hand.

"Wait! Look at that," Asuma remarked. Everyone followed his finger, squinting. Slowly, a black speck began moving in the ashes. It grew bigger and bigger. It was a humanoid figure. And Sakura swallowed as she saw wings spread from its shoulders.

"Fuck. That looks Demon King-y," Tenten whispered.

Naruto gave a grim nod as he reached for his greataxe. But when he patted his back, he couldn't find it. He had lost it somewhere in the chaos of the explosion. He swore as he rummaged in his equipment for something else he could use.

Sasuke nocked one of his last arrows. He took a few steps forward, putting himself between the group and the approaching creature.

"Naruto, hurry up," Sasuke spat.

"I'm TRYING!" Naruto retorted.

The figure grew closer and closer. And as it broke through the smoke, its black eyes glittered with malice. Sharp teeth glimmered, reflecting the blue flames that encased its clawed hands. It seemed to catch sight of them in the distance because it suddenly gave a flap of its huge, leathery wings. It took flight, landing with a terrible crash just a few feet from them. As it moved, Sakura glimpsed a burn mark in the shape of a falcon across its palm.

"Humans. You've journeyed a long way," it rumbled. And despite the way the voice boomed and gargled, there was something familiar it about it.

"... no fucking way," Sasuke hissed, lowering his bow and arrow.

Naruto stopped pawing through his pack. He straightened, his tail twitching to one side.

"Dude... is that you?" Naruto asked.

He stared at the demon, unflinching. It took a long moment. And then the demon let out a long sigh. The wings retracted. The horns receded back into his skull. And slowly, Kisame's face replaced the monster's terrible visage. He looked a little singed, but that was about it.

"Are you the demon king?" demanded Naruto.

Kisame snapped. The same blue circle of flames they had seen before flickered to life just above his head. But then its shape began to change. It grew taller, the tongues of flames stretching until they burned in the shape of a crown.

"That little shit I killed used to be one of my cronies. He managed to stage a small coup and take over. His spell transported me to your plane with memory loss. I guess he thought that since he couldn't kill me, he'd just toss me somewhere far away," explained Kisame.

"... gotta admit. I was thinking that was a pretty shitty demon king," Tenten leaned over to murmur to Neji. He thought for a moment before he nodded.

"I didn't break out of his spell and recover my memory until I'd traveled with you for a bit. And I figured the fastest way to get home was if I stuck with you," Kisame went on. Despite the blue flames flickering over his head, he seemed like the regular Kisame they had spent months traveling with. If anything, that only seemed to infuriate Naruto more.

"You could've told us!" the shifter shouted.

At this, Kisame smirked. "So you could kill me, little hero?"

Naruto's hackles rose at that.

"I wouldn't have! I would've found a way to help you. Because that's what friends do!" he snapped.

Guilt flickered across Kisame's face. "You would've helped me?" he repeated. And with that, the crown of flames dimmed.

""How could you do this to us? I trusted you, Kisame!" Naruto exclaimed, voice thick with emotions. His hands were fisted at his sides.

"...Sorry."

"And how could you do this to Sakura?" Naruto went on.

All eyes flitted to Sakura when he mentioned her. And expressions of pity and sadness were already on their faces as they found her. Poor, kind-hearted Sakura. How shattered she would be to learn that her lover was lying to her.

Sakura examined her belt, sighing when she realized that one of the decorative straps had broken.

"Oh, that? I already knew," she told them in a flat voice.

"What?" yelped Naruto.

Sakura looked up, directly at Kisame. "How long's it been? About 5-6 months?" she asked.

"About," he agreed.

"Sakura, what the hell?" Naruto demanded.

"I mean, he didn't tell me. I figured it out. The resistance to my healing, speaking Infernal, oh and how he can wield time magic as a fighter. None of that seemed weird to you?" asked Sakura.

Neji leaned in toward Sasuke to whisper," Did you know he could do any of that?"

Sasuke shook his head in response.

"Also, the height," Kisame supplied.

"Yeah. You know that tieflings are just... weird-colored humans, right? They're not supposed to be large-"

A smug look crossed Kisame's face. "Thank you."

"-in stature," Sakura finished, like she hadn't heard that comment at all. "And the reason for all this chaos on the surface is because someone wasn't doing the real job of a demon king. This kind of solves all of our problems."

"So what? You're on his side now? You're gonna just live down here with the demons?" sputtered Naruto.

Sakura made a face. "No! What would I even do here?"

And at the same time, Kisame retorted, "Of course not. She'd take over the entire kingdom in a fortnight."

Sakura took that in. Blinking, she looked over at him with a half-smile, touched. "Really? A fortnight?"

His mouth pulled into a smile, too. Before Kisame could say something else, Sasuke spoke up.

"So you're saying all this started happening after Kisame lost the throne?"

Kisame rubbed his nose. "Yep," he confirmed.

"How do I know he's not lying again?" Naruto demanded, hands still making fists at his sides.

"He's not," answered Sakura in a flat voice. Naruto glanced back at her. And when he looked back at Kisame, he continued to squint angrily.

"Okay. Maybe he's not lying. But I still don't like it," Naruto amended.

Tenten frowned, too, tilting her head to one side. She gripped one of her knives, stealing a look back at Sakura. "So... uh..." She looked back at Kisame. "...Do we have to kill him? Because that would suck."

Kisame suddenly looked tired. He cast a look around the smoldering clearing. He flexed his claws. Slowly, they transformed back into hands. He spotted the handle of Naruto's greataxe sticking out of a pile of rubble.

"Yeah, I'm with Tenten on this. I really don't wanna kill the big guy. He's pretty cool," Sasuke spoke up.

Naruto frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "I like him too. But our mission is to slay the demon king and restore peace to our lands. Like all the plagues and the monster attacks. And you know... death and stuff," he listed.

"But... it's Kisame. Dude chopped an ogre in half to save you," Tenten reminded him.

"I know."

"And he also dove into a leech-filled swamp to save your ass," Sasuke recalled.

"He also helped you sneak past Sakura that time you ate too many of those weird berries," Neji added.

"He did what now?" Sakura asked.

Naruto pretended not to hear her as he quickly redirected the conversation. "Alright, alright, yeah. We all love the big blue dude. But... don't we have to kill the demon king and save the world?" He looked genuinely distressed as he grappled with the morality of it all.

"If Kisame's back on the throne, all the chaos should stop," Sakura pointed out, still sitting on the ground. She grimaced as she shifted her swollen ankle. Pain shot up her leg.

"There's no guarantee of that," groused Kakashi.

"...I think I'm your guarantee," Sakura slowly said, like she couldn't even believe what she was saying. She shook her head a little.

Naruto made a noise of disgust as he scoffed, "Sakura. Please. He's a big, mean demon king. Evil and chaos is his thing, isn't it?"

"No. She's right."

All heads turned toward Kisame. He sat on the charred stump of a tree. Head of Naruto's greataxe resting on the ground. He leaned his hands on the handle, casually rocking back and forth as he took in the conversation.

"What? It's the truth," he then added as skeptical faces answered him.

"You're the king of an entire army of demons and you'll just... listen to her?" Asuma demanded.

This time, Kisame looked offended. "What do you mean? She's hot. She's smart. And if anyone tries to stab me in the back, she'll smash their skull in with a hammer or something," Kisame listed, counting off on his fingers. With each point, Sasuke and Naruto nodded a little or shrugged.

"Plus, mayhem on your plane isn't really my thing. My job is to rule things here. There should be chaos... to a point."

Naruto blinked several times. It took him a while to find the words. He asked, "So... uh... can you, like, stop all the bad stuff, please?"

Kisame looked startled. And then he chuckled. "Oh. Of course. Almost forgot."

He mimed covering his ears. Slowly, the members of the party copied him, raising their hands to clap over their ears. Only when everyone had done so did Kisame get to his feet. He sucked down a deep breath. And when he opened his mouth, a terrible roar thundered across the smoldering plane. There was a pause. And then a cacophony of shrieks answered him.

Demons of every shape and size began to appear. Some swooped down from the skies. Others emerged from cracks in the ground. A few materialized from the shadows that crept across the dirt. Some sniffed disdainfully in their direction. But, like the others, they then approached Kisame, kneeling at his feet.

A guttural noise slipped out of Kisame's mouth. One of the demons responded, its reedy voice rising and falling. Kisame snarled something that made it recoil with a little yelp. He uttered several more words. A chorus of snarls and grunts rose in response. The gathered demons bowed several times before they began to disappear with urgency in their movements. The first demon who had spoken lingered to say something else. Kisame responded by grabbing its misshapen head in one hand and squeezing until the demon let out a pitiful, shrill noise.

"Kisame," Sakura's quiet voice drew his gaze.

With a scoff, Kisame released the creature. Keening, the demon took flight. Its leathery wings taking it away as fast as possible.

"They'll handle it. Things should start settling down soon," Kisame then said as he turned to face them. Neji's gaze flickered up to the burning blue crown that hovered over Kisame's head.

"You could've killed us," Neji observed.

Kisame's lower lip poked out as he considered that. "Nah. Didn't feel like it. You guys are pretty cool," he answered. And then he offered his hand. Neji eyed it for a moment before he shook it.

Kisame then turned to the rest of the group. "Let's get you home," he declared.

"What? Just like that?" Naruto blurted out. His scowl was still in place.

Kisame's eyes darted around. "I mean... yeah. You found the demon king. There's gonna be peace. And now I'll send you guys home."

Naruto huffed. And then he gestured toward Sakura. "But, like, this is goodbye? She's your..." Naruto trailed off as Sakura shot a poisonous look in his direction. He hastily amended his wording. "I mean, you're her... paramour, I guess?"

"Excellent use of vocabulary, Naruto," commented Neji.

Naruto flashed him a quick smile. As he did so, he completely missed the wink Kisame sent in Sakura's direction.

"Aw, I'm sure the Doc's sick of me by now. Now, let's get all you home."

And before anyone could protest, light surrounded them. Ripping them from the surface of the plane and sending them catapulting back home.

* * *

In the blink of an eye, the seasons were changing again.

It had been several months since they had reported back to the Emperor. Riches and glory had been showered upon them for defeating the terrible demon king. They had kept the story as vague as possible. And no one really seemed that interested anyway- as long as things were back to normal.

The mysterious sicknesses and the monster attacks had stopped almost overnight. And as soon as the celebrations had ended, Sakura had returned to the emperor's palace to resume her position as the Imperial Physician. Sasuke had taken up a position in the palace, too, as one of the emperor's hunters. It was a cushy job that didn't really require all that much work- perfect for Sasuke, who, after all the adventuring, was "sick of having to do shit".

Naruto was still busy with his adventures all around the world. He wrote frequently. And so did Neji and Tenten, who went together with him on most of those journeys. Sakura had lost touch with Kakashi, which she had kind of expected. She knew he would pop up when he wanted to be found.

Asuma had decided to stay in the capital for the time being. He performed at the local taverns to earn his keep, enchanting the patrons with tales of all their adventures. He sang about the underwater ruins and the mysterious statue of a goddess who lay beneath the waters. He weaved tales of victory and of peril. And on the nights when Sakura sat to listen, she couldn't help but smile. Maybe he embellished some details here and there, but it was close enough to make her remember all those days of travel with her friends.

At night, Sakura curled up on her side, her pillow cool against her cheek. Her eyes sliding shut. Remembering how she would scowl and complain about a heavy arm thrown over her. The weight of the silence in her room lay heavy over her as she drifted off to sleep each night.

One night. As the full moon rose in the sky. Sakura felt a ripple of energy that made goosebumps rise up and down her arms. Her eyes snapped open. The falcon emblem on the nightstand thrummed in response to the energy that flooded the room.

An eerie purple light flooded the floor under her bed. And then there was a thump, followed by a soft curse.

"Your bed's too low, Doc," Kisame grumbled.

The edge of the mattress dipped as he climbed up. He curled his huge body around her, smelling faintly of sulphur.

"Not that busy today?" she asked.

His breath ruffled her hair as he sighed. "I should be alright for a few hours," replied Kisame. His arm wrapped around her, pulling her against him.

"Hey, Doc."

"Hm?"

"...You still like my ass?"

She laughed at him.

"Yeah, Kisame. It's a good ass."

There was a pause. And then he let out a sigh of relief. "Good," he declared.


End file.
